Shardul Thakur to Join Essex in County Championship in Latest Attempt to Secure Spot in India's Test Squad for England Tour

India's dynamic all-rounder Shardul Thakur has officially signed a seven-match deal with Essex for the upcoming County Championship, set to kick off in April and May 2025. The seasoned 33-year-old is determined to make the most of this chance and is eager to showcase his skills in order to secure a spot back in the Test team.

India are slated to travel to England for five Tests later this year, and if Shardul Thakur performs well, he will strengthen his case to be included in the squad.

Recently, Shardul Thakur was not named in India's squad for the five-match Test series against Australia. Head coach Gautam Gambhir had indicated that the management is looking past Shardul, and hence, a youngster like Nitish Kumar Reddy was picked for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The fast-bowling all-rounder has represented India on 83 occasions across all formats, taking 129 wickets, including 31 in 11 Test appearances.

His international debut came in August 2017 in an ODI against Sri Lanka. His maiden Test appearance followed just over a year later, at home against the West Indies.

He has taken a total of 296 first-class wickets at an average of 27.45, and he also has over 2,000 runs to his name in the format, with two hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

Thakur’s recent form has been exceptional. In a recent Ranji Trophy game against Meghalaya, he hit 84 off 42 and took a hat-trick on his way to match figures of 8/91. Just one match before that, he also hit 51 and 119 against Jammu and Kashmir, sharing a vital stand of 184 for the eighth wicket with Tanush Kotian.

'Feeling excited to join Essex'

Shardul Thakur said that he is really excited to join the county and he cannot wait to excel in new challenges and opportunities.

“I am feeling excited to join Essex this summer. Personally it brings new challenges and opportunities to showcase my talent and skills," he said in an official statement.

“County cricket is something I always wanted to experience and I am glad that I’ll be representing the Eagles," he added.

Essex Director of Cricket, Chris Silverwood, added that the county is thrilled to get the Indian star on board.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to get the signing of Shardul over the line. We were very clear amongst ourselves that a high quality quick bowler, with lower-order batting ability, was a key target for the Club this winter," he said.

“In Shardul, we have signed just that, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Essex and see how he gets on in the County Championship," he added.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }