Fast-bowling all-rounder is a rare commodity in Indian cricket. In terms of role in the team, an allrounder who can bowl with decent pace can give a balance unlike any other cricketer. Shardul Thakur is one of the top names in the country when it comes to fast-bowling all-rounder. Thakur has played 11 Tests, 47 ODIs and 25 T20Is for India, but the last match he played for the national team was back in December, 2023 in South Africa. Since then, he has not been used in any of the formats. He was not even in the squad for the Australia Test series that India lost 3-1. 

But then, in the Ranji Trophy, Thakur has been in scintillating form for Mumbai. He has picked 33 wickets at 19.96 and scored 402 runs in eight matches. He has now opened up on his Australia Tour snub and said he is looking forward to India Test tour of England. 

“Initially, it was quite disturbing when I saw my name was not there when the team was selected. It was tough, but as professional cricketers, we understand that there are highs and lows in a career. What I thought at that moment was that if I wanted to achieve more in cricket, I could not dwell on the rejection anymore. There was optimism that if any opportunity came my way, I should be ready,” Shardul Thakur told Revsportz.

“There was no desperation to put in any extra effort—I focused on my basics. If you ask me what makes me special while playing for Mumbai, I will say taking wickets at regular intervals and delivering performances in knockout stages. All these serve as motivation for me, and I believe that if I have already done these things, I can do them again.

“When the team came out for the Australia tour, my focus shifted to the Champions Trophy, IPL, and now this upcoming England tour. The motivation was there, and I worked hard accordingly.”

Shardul thakur is now looking forward to India’s Tour of England for Tests, which will begin in June. 

“Self-belief and confidence are very high. There is no bigger motivation than playing for your country. If you look at Team India’s combination, whether playing in India or abroad, you always need a bowler who can bat at No. 7 or 8. Ravichandran Ashwin used to play and won many games with the bat as well. Ravindra Jadeja has also shown that capability. I believe I have the skill to deliver for Team India even at No. 7 or 8,” he said.

“Even if I am the third or fourth seamer in the team, it does not mean I am less than anyone. For Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, I play as a lead bowler, so I am used to bowling with the new ball. Hence, if Jasprit Bumrah is bowling from one end and the Team India captain wants me to start from the other, I am up for it, as this is nothing new to me. I believe my bowling has the versatility to adjust according to different situations.

“If you think of T20Is, in the matches where Bumrah and I played together, I operated more in the death overs. In Test cricket, I can bowl with both the new and old ball. With the bat, I think any runs from numbers eight to eleven are valuable for the team. Especially when we are touring England, as an away team, those extra runs provide a cushion for the bowlers. Eventually, they become the key difference in a particular game.”

Sam Konstas hit Jasprit Bumrah for a reverse ramp six.© AFP

File photo of India coach Gautam Gambhir and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly© AFP

Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary – it’s safe to say that the history that these two former India players share is not nice. The two have often clashed on ground and recently Tiwary, a former India and Bengal batter, called him a ‘hypocrite coach’ . The two played for Kolkata Knight Riders and had a fight there too. During the 2015 Ranji Trophy, the duo clashed on field during a Delhi vs Bengal match and things turned ugly.  Manoj Tiwary revisited all those events and claimed that Gambhir targeted him unnecessarily.    

“When a new player emerges, he is given space in newspaper, may be that is one of the reasons why he got angry with me. If had a PR team, I could have been the India captain today,” Manoj Tiwary told Lallantop. 

“Once, we had a heated argument about my batting position at the Eden Gardens. I was very upset and had gone to the washroom. He barged in and said ‘This attitude won’t work. Tujhe kabhi khilaunga nahi (I won’t give you a game). This and that. I confronted him and asked him why he was talking that way. He was giving me a threat.  Wasim Akram also came in. He was our bowling coach, so he calmed things down, otherwise haathapai bhi ho sakta tha (There could have been a physical fight too). Akram said ‘You are the captain. Cool down’. He understood, he knew what was happening. He had said good things about my talent a few years ago.”

Tiwary also opened up on the heated argument that he had with Gambhir during a Ranji Trophy game in 2015.  

“I would get scolded without any reason. I couldn’t understand why he would target me. In fact, when I came to KKR in 2010, he and I got along nicely. But then he would lose his cool at me out of the blue. He would use very hurtful words. Then, when I started thinking about it, I realised that out of all the local boys at KKR, I was the one who used to perform consistently. And since I was a promising youngster, the media was giving me attention. So, he didn’t react to it well. That is what I believe,” Tiwary said.

“Leading up to our fight at the 2015 Ranji Trophy, he was angry at me. He though I was wasting time. H He was abusing from slips. Nobody should use such words. Ha, Ma-behen ki gaali. Then he said, ‘shaam ko mil, main tujhe maarta hu‘. (Meet me in the evening, I am going to thrash you). I said, ‘shaam ko kiu abhi maarlo (why evening? let’s fight now)’. I was also strong. Sourav Ganguly was part of the cricket administration then, and Gambhir said ‘He used his jack to enter there, and you have come behind him’. 

“In KKR, we had an argument. I was constantly getting demoted in the KKR batting order. In one of the friendly matches against Australia, I was the highest scorer. I had scored 129, while he [Gambhir] scored 110. Even then, he lost his cool. I was applying sunscreen when he came to me and shouted, ‘What are you doing here? Everybody else is on the ground’. Out of nowhere.”

Gautam Gambhir is currently the head coach of the Indian cricket team.

Pacer Arshdeep Singh on Wednesday became India’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20Is, surpassing leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the elite list. Arshdeep achieved the feat during the first T20I of the five-match series against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Arshdeep was on 95 wickets heading into the series-opener, just one scalp behind Chahal (96) who is not part of the squad. However, he dismissed England openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett in the first and third over, respectively.

Arshdeep achieved the feat in just 61 T20Is, having made his debut against England in 2022.

Most wickets for India in T20Is

97 – Arshdeep Singh (61 matches)

96 – Yuzvendra Chahal (80 matches)

90 –Bhuvneshwar Kumar (87 matches)

89 –Jasprit Bumrah (70 matches)

89 –Hardik Pandya (110 matches)

Meanwhile, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami missed out on making his international comeback as India won the toss and elected to bowl first against England.

Shami was highly expected to play his international comeback game, but the wait has now extended as India opted to have a bowling line-up of Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh as fast-bowlers, while Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy will handle the spin-bowling department.

For England, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith, Saqib Mahmood and Rehan Ahmed missed out on selection in the game at Kolkata. ” Looks a good wicket, I’m sure it’s going to be a good match. There will be some dew around. It’s a great ground, it’s an honour to play against India in these conditions.”

Playing XIs

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

England: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood

(With IANS Inputs)

Sam Konstas (left) was involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during MCG Test.© X (formerly Twitter)

File image of Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah.© AFP

File photo of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma; (right) Harbhajan Singh© AFP

Cracking the whip on the Indian cricket team’s “star culture”, the BCCI on Thursday unveiled a 10-point policy to promote “discipline and unity”, making domestic cricket mandatory, imposing restriction on the presence of families and personal staff on tours and banning individual commercial endorsements during ongoing series. It is learnt that the restrictions were sought by head coach Gautam Gambhir in a review meeting of the team’s recent poor run. Non-compliance would invite sanctions, including cuts in the players’ retainer fee from central contracts and a bar on participating in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

The measures have been announced in the wake of the team’s disastrous tour of Australia during which it surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade. The debacle was preceded by a series whitewash against a relatively under-strength New Zealand at home.

The 10 diktats make it mandatory for players to seek Gambhir and chairman of selectors’ Ajit Agarkar’s approval for any relaxation, including the duration of stay for their families on tour.

The Board has approved only a two-week window for families to stay with the players during overseas tours that exceed 45 days, besides imposing restrictions on personal staff, and commercial shoots.

By the look of things, the BCCI seems to have completely backed Gambhir’s stance during the review meeting that took place last weekend.

Terming the measures as a way of “ensuring professional standards and operational efficiency during tours and series”, the policy, which is in possession of PTI, could prove to be a landmark document.

“Any exceptions or deviations must be pre-approved by the Chairman of the Selection Committee and Head Coach. Non-compliance may lead to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the BCCI,” the Board has warned.

“Additionally, the BCCI reserves the right to take disciplinary action against a player which may include sanction against the concerned player from participating in all BCCI conducted tournaments including the Indian Premier League deduction from retainer amount/match fees under BCCI Player contract,” it added.

Participation in Domestic Matches

The Board said it is mandatory for players to remain available for domestic matches.

“This policy ensures that players remain connected to the domestic cricket ecosystem, fostering talent development, maintaining match fitness, and strengthening the overall domestic structure,” the BCCI stated Any exceptions to this mandate will require formal notification and approval from Agarkar.

The reason behind this instruction is the absence of stars from the Ranji ciruit. Virat Kohli hasn’t played a Ranji Trophy match since 2012, that was one year before Sachin Tendulkar played his last Ranji match in 2013.

Embattled skipper Rohit Sharma last played Ranji in 2015.

Players Traveling Separately with Families

Players would be expected to travel with the team to and from matches and practice sessions.

The BCCI said that separate travel arrangements with families are being discouraged to maintain “discipline and team cohesion”.

Exceptions, if any, must be pre-approved by Gambhir and Agarkar.

This is after one superstar player travelled separately on tours, including last year during the South Africa assignment.

Two big stars, during the recent tour of Australia, refused to travel with teams and one of them hired a charter flight for travelling from one Australian city to another.

Excess Baggage Limit

Players would now be required to adhere to specified baggage limits shared with the team. Any excess baggage costs will need to be borne by the individual. The baggage weight limit for long tours has been placed at 150 kg.

This was necessitated after the players, who were travelling with their families, included their partners, children and personal staff’s bags to their account.

Restriction on Individual Staff on Tour/Series

Personal staff, including managers, chefs, assistants and security, are to be restricted on tours or series unless explicitly approved by the BCCI.

It started with Gautam Gambhir’s personal manager raising eyebrows with his presence in the team hotel.

While Gambhir has accepted to keep his secretary away, he has ensured that chefs of certain younger star players would also not be readily allowed into the set-up.

Sending Bags Separately to the Centre of Excellence

Players have been told to co-ordinate with the team management on the equipment and personal items sent to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

“Any additional costs incurred due to separate arrangements will be the player’s responsibility.” Some senior players have been known to send their equipment or kits much before they arrive for rehab at the NCA and most of them have earned notoriety for not paying for the excess costs.

Leaving Practice Sessions Early

All players would be mandated to stay for the entire duration of scheduled practice sessions and travel together to and from the venue to promote “commitment” and “foster a strong work ethic within the team.” The move would ensure that star players, who have become used to a separate car to leave the nets as per their wishes, will have to stay for the full duration.

Besides, the Board has barred players from engaging in personal shoots or endorsements during an ongoing series or tour to avoid “distractions” and has allowed families to join them on overseas tours which are longer than 45 days.

The last two points of the document make it mandatory for players to be available for the Board’s official shoots and functions, besides staying put with the team even when the match or the series in question has ended early.

File photo of Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir© AFP