'When I played in England, I was not utilised properly...': Shardul T…

India's pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur feels he was not utilised properly in the Leeds Test during India’s England tour last year.

The Ben Stokes-led hosts won the match by five wickets with Thakur bowling just six overs in the first innings (conceding 38 runs) and 10 overs in the second (conceding 51 runs), where he dismissed opener Ben Duckett (who scored 149) and Harry Brook (0). fish-roadgame.online

After the Leeds Test, Thakur played the fourth drawn Test at Manchester, scoring 41 in the first innings and going wicketless in his 11 overs.

“When I played in England [in 2025], I was not utilised properly [as a bowler]. I could’ve played a few more games and made a difference. I made a mistake while batting where I played a loose shot at Leeds [scored 1 and 4], but at Manchester [Test], I batted beautifully [scored 41]. It was overcast, the ball was swinging, and bouncing oddly from a certain length. I survived that spell and helped India put up a very strong total in the first innings [358]. Then, the pitch became flat and we were able to save the game. But had I not played that innings when the second new ball arrived, the result could’ve been different. So, it’s not that I’ve not made contributions when I played for India last. I deserve more opportunities,” Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s 2026-27 season launch at the MCA-BKC academy on Wednesday.

Shubman Gill was the skipper in England and Thakur felt that a calculation error led to him being under-utilised. “I was under-bowled and being bowled in the wrong phases. There was some calculation error there,” he said.

However, Thakur, 34, who has claimed 33 scalps in 13 Tests, is optimistic about a comeback. “Whenever I’ve played for the country, I’ve made some impact and won matches. So, when I make a comeback, I’m still willing to do as much. I desire to play for India again. Hope is a strong word. And till that hope is alive, everything is possible.” Thakur added.

The first T20I match between Team India and England ended without a result at the Riverside Ground in Chester-Le-Street.

Having won the toss, the "Men in Blue" posted a total of 189 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Opening batsman Sanju Samson was dismissed on one run in seven balls. Fellow opening batsman Abhishek Sharma departed after scoring 59 runs in 24 balls, including six boundaries and four maximums.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan was also dismissed on a two-ball duck. Skipper Shreyas Iyer smashed 68 runs in 47 balls. His knock was laced with six boundaries and a maximum. Facing 13 balls, Tilak Varma managed to score 13 runs, including a boundary.

Harshit Rana also registered a two-ball duck, whereas Axar Patel lost his wicket on three runs, which came in four balls. Shivam Dube played an unbeaten knock of 42 runs in 21 balls, with the help of two boundaries and three maximums.

England's Saqib Mahmood returned with the figures of three wickets for 33 runs in four overs. Adil Rashid and Sam Curran bagged one wicket each. Completing his quota of four overs, Rashid conceded 39 runs, whereas Curran was smashed for 25 runs in three overs. Luke Wood, Liam Dawson, and Will Jacks went wicketless in the first T20I match against the "Men in Blue".

Later, the match was abandoned due to rain. The hosts didn't come out to bat due to persistent rain.

Earlier after winning the toss, Team India's skipper Iyer said, "We are going with bat first. Ireland is history. It’s a new series, five games, everything to play for. Certainly, this is a great opportunity for us. This is my first, second actually, second series as a captain. So, pretty much excited. We got what we wanted. We got a session of practice over here yesterday, pretty much acclimatised to the surroundings as well. So, looking forward for an exciting one. [On the mood in the dressing room after the Ireland series] It’s absolutely fine. To be honest, as you mentioned, the Ireland series is history. We’ve got to learn a lot from that series. And coming over here, we know how England has been playing their cricket".

IND vs ENG 1st T20I: Confirmed Playing XIs

India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.

The India vs England five-match T20I series kicks off on July 1, Wednesday, at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.

The two teams last met in this format in Mumbai in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, where India overcame a thunderous century from Jacob Bethell to seal their place in the final, which they went on to win by beating New Zealand.

Team India’s fortunes in T20Is, though, flipped in their most recent series. Under new captain Shreyas Iyer, the world T20 champions went down 2-0 in Belfast, conceding a first-ever T20I series defeat against Ireland.

Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir would hope that India will spring back with a victory in the IND vs ENG 1st T20I.

The challenge in front of them is a tough one. England have already announced their playing XI, and only one player, captain Harry Brook, was part of the Test series against New Zealand that concluded on Monday.

Brook, who is in line to become the new England Test captain, will be wanting to strengthen his credentials if England can register a series win over India. This is a bit of a historical challenge for England as the Three Lions have been outdone by India the last two times they hosted the Men in Blue.

IND vs ENG: How Many Times India Have Won T20I Series In England?

India have played four T20I series against England in England. India lost the first two series but won the last two T20I series, in 2018 and 2022, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, respectively.

Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, India lost the one-off T20I clashes against England in 2011 in Manchester and in 2014 in Birmingham.

However, India recorded 2-1 series wins in both their previous series in England. In 2018, with Kohli at the helm, India won the first T20I in Manchester but lost the next match in Cardiff. The series-decider in Bristol went the away team’s way. Rohit was the Man of the Series, which included a splendid century in the 3rd T20I.

On the 2022 trip to England, Rohit was the captain as India once again grabbed the T20I series. India won the first two matches in Southampton and Birmingham to seal the rubber, with England claiming a consolation victory in the 3rd T20I in Nottingham. India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the Player of the Series – he took 4 wickets in 2 matches at an average of 6.25 and an economy of 4.16.

Iyer would hope to dust off the defeat against Ireland and continue India’s winning streak of T20I series in England, which would mean joining Kohli and Rohit on this elite list.

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Skipper Abhirath Reddy and district player Ganesh Gadugu led the charge for Hyderabad E-Champions as they continued their unbeaten run with a six-wicket win against Warangal Warriors in the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s Sreenidhi University TG20’s first match on Wednesday. With this win, the E-Champions have qualified for the Playoffs.

After narrowly missing out on a couple of occasions, Abhirath registered his maiden ton in the Sreenidhi University TG20. The Orange Cap holder continued to pile on the runs for his side with a stellar 101* off 43 balls, which included seven fours and nine sixes. District player Ganesh Gadugu also played his part, scoring 50 off 31 balls after the bowlers, led by Purple Cap holder Ajay Dev Goud (3/27), restricted the Warriors to 173/9.

Opting to bat first, Warriors made a watchful start before their openers unfurled a range of strokes. They piled up 64 runs in the first five overs to set the platform for their side. However, Ajay showed why he’s on top of the wicket-takers list, as he sent back both openers in the final over of the powerplay.

Harshit Choudhary (22 of 14) was the first to be dismissed with Aman Rao Perala also falling after a quickfire 20-ball 45. The twin strikers wrestled back momentum for the E-Champions. Shanmukha Ashwin got the better of Murugan Abhishek (4 off 7) soon after, putting Warriors further into trouble.

Sunkari Dheeraj (18 off 16) and Rishiket Sisodia stitched together a 50-run stand to stabilise the innings with the latter doing the heavy lifting. He found the odd boundary and rotated strike regularly to keep the scoreboard ticking with his partner. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Rishiket fell in an attempt to up the ante with Pranav Varma getting the better of him in the 15th over, putting an end to his 32-ball 38.

That triggered a series of wickets with the Warriors stumbling at the backend of the innings. Akhil Rathod bagged his first wicket to dismiss Sunkari, while Ajay continued his wicket-taking streak by dismissing Adi Mani Kiran (5 off 6). Dev Mehta also got rid of Bhavesh Seth (6 off 8) as the Warriors found themselves at 142/7.

Shaunak Kulkarni’s fiery 7-ball 22-run cameo powered his side to a strong finish before he fell to Abhirath in the penultimate over. In the end, Warriors posted a total of 173/9 at the end of 20 overs.

E-Champions laid down an early marker of intent at the beginning of their run chase, scoring 27 runs in the first couple of overs with their captain leading the charge. However, they found themselves in a spot of bother as the Warriors returned strongly to bag three wickets in the powerplay, achieving that feat for the first time in the tournament.

Pallepati Kranthi struck a crucial double blow in the third over, dismissing Sai Vikas Reddy (10 off 7) and Ajay Goud (0 off 2). Anvith Reddy (4 off 2) was dismissed by Salman Khan in the following over as he pegged things back for the Warriors.

With the game hanging in the balance, Abhirath and Ganesh Gadugu once again showed why they’re vital cogs of the E-Champions batting unit. They displayed immense maturity to keep the required run rate within control as they built a 77-run stand in which Ganesh was the aggressor.

The district player smashed his second half-century of the tournament, reaching the milestone in 30 balls to put his side in cruise control. Shaunak broke the partnership by dismissing Ganesh in the 12th over, but the writing was on the wall by then.

Abhirath effortlessly switched gears to notch up his fifty in 28 balls and unleash an array of strokes to finish things off in a hurry. He concluded the run chase on a high, launching a towering six over long-off to amass his century and secure a comprehensive win for his side with 27 balls to spare.

Brief Scores:

*Hyderabad E-Champions beat Warangal Warriors by six wickets*

*Warangal Warriors 173/9 in 20 overs* (Aman Rao Perala 45, Rishiket Sisodia 38, Ajay Dev Goud 3/27)

*Hyderabad E-Champions 178/4 in 15.3 overs* (Abhirath Reddy 101*, Ganesh Gadugu 50, Pallepati Kranthi 1/29)

*Player of the match: Abhirath Reddy*

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