Boria Majumdar
He isn’t a part of the Indian set-up at the moment. Nor was he a part of the IPL to start with. For the record, Shardul Thakur went unsold in the auction and was thereafter drafted in by LSG as replacement for Mohsin Khan. From being the toast of the nation to being out in the wilderness, Shardul has seen it all.
And yet, he never gave up. “Yes, I felt bad when I wasn’t picked for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” he told me. “For the first two days, it seemed all was lost. But then, I asked myself if I wanted to get back and try again or if I wanted to give up. I had my answer, and have enjoyed each moment since.”
One of the few who prioritised domestic cricket even before the BCCI diktat, Shardul is all effort. It is his hard work that has done the trick for him. And if things go well, there is every reason to believe he will be part of the India team that plays England at Leeds on June 20 in the first match of the five-Test series.
What makes Shardul different? First is his all-in approach. “It is about giving your 100 percent,” he had said after picking up 35-plus wickets in the Ranji Trophy season. “I have done well in the past, at all levels of the sport, and there is no reason why I won’t be able to do it again. The skills are there and if you do the process right, results are bound to come your way.”
There is a saying that if you are talented, Mumbai doesn’t let you return empty-handed. Shardul’s story started in 2006. Dinesh Lad, the cricket coach of Swami Vivekananda International School, had been frantically calling one Narendra Thakur for at least six months, but each time his proposal was met with stiff resistance. Narendra was a vegetable farmer from Palghar, a district on the western line around 90 kms from Mumbai proper. Lad had watched Thakur’s teenage son, Shardul, perform at an inter-school event and wanted the 14-year-old to join his school.
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Exclusive 🚨
“The initial two days were tough” — #ShardulThakur on not getting selected for #BGT2024.
The allrounder spoke on how he held his morale up, his performance in the #RanjiTrophy, and how he feels confident about getting a chance and performing in the England tour… pic.twitter.com/rGP1ee3wXP
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) February 13, 2025
“I called up Shardul’s father at least 20 times in those six months and every time he would politely tell me: Sir, hum apne bachhe ko roz paanch ghante ka safaar nahin karwayenge. Uska padhai thik se nahi ho payega [We won’t make our child travel five hours every day. His studies will suffer],” said Lad.
One evening, while he was sitting with his wife, Deepali, Lad asked her if she would mind if he decided to let young Shardul stay with them in the house. “If you feel that’s the right thing to do, I have no problems,” was Mrs Lad’s answer.
The next moment, Lad was again on the phone with Narendra, but this time he had a fresh proposal. “Will you be okay if Shardul stays at my place, studies at Swami Vivekananda, and takes cricket coaching?” he asked. It was Lad’s last throw of the dice. Narendra agreed, and thus began Shardul’s story.
Can Shardul make a comeback to the national team for the India-England series? Can Lord be the Lord of Leeds? These are questions we don’t have answers to just yet. But for his supporters, there is hope and optimism. And it is not unfounded.