Shardul Thakur credits competitive Mumbai circuit for maiden India call-up

Elated at receiving his inaugural opportunity to represent India, Shardul Thakur has credited the rigorousness of Mumbai cricket which thrust him into national reckoning. Speaking to PTI, the 24-year-old seamer also opened up on his interactions with Kings XI Punjab team-mate Mitchell Johnson.

Thakur enthused, "I strongly believe that the cricket culture in Mumbai is such that if a young cricketer can survive its rigors, he is certainly destined for bigger things. It is Mumbai cricket and the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team that has helped me get a national call-up.”

The bustling right-armer was a huge reason behind Mumbai’s victorious campaign in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy. His sterling spell in the final against Saurashtra included an unplayable delivery to Cheteshwar Pujara which enthralled the commentators.

Opening up on that match-winning spell, Thakur asserted, “This year, we were a very young Mumbai team that won the Ranji Trophy. I believe my consistency worked in my favour. I had some good spells. Getting eight wickets in a Ranji Trophy final would not have gone unnoticed.”

He added, “Also since Mumbai are always in contention every year to win the Championship, it helps that you get a chance to perform in crunch matches. This always helps in growing in confidence.”

Reflecting on his journey, the seamer shared, “In Mumbai, being good is not enough. You have to be more than good enough to play for Mumbai at any level. That's what has been instilled in me since I came to Mumbai.”

Lauding the tough and non-compromising nature of his coaches, Thakur affirmed, “Whether it is my personal coach Dinesh Lad, Mumbai U-25 coach Vilas Godbole, senior team coaches like Praveen Amre and Chandrakant Pandit, they have always told me about the standards that a Mumbai cricketer needs to set.”

However, the quick bowler did not get too many opportunities in the IPL. In fact, Kings XI chose to release the promising pacer from the 2016 squad which prompted him to take to Twitter to vent his frustration. But, Shardul revealed that he had learnt a lot from sharing the dressing room with the fiery Mitchell Johnson.

He reminisced, “Johnson did not give me any specific tips as such but we did have some interactions during my Kings XI Punjab stint. I had asked him about some of his specific spells in international cricket as to how he planned and all. He did share his insights.”

Renowned to have a dangerous out-swinger, Thakur claimed that he was developing an in-swinger too. The attacking pacer said, “My strength is my out-swing delivery but I have been working on my in-swing with the Mumbai Ranji team's bowling coach Omkar Salvi.”

Looking forward to grab the chance and seal his spot in the Indian team, Shardul hoped, “Obviously, I will speak to the senior players to get an idea about what to expect in the Caribbean. I will definitely do my homework before leaving for the tour.”