India and Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur has signed with Essex County for the first batch of County Championship games. Thakur, 33, will be available for seven matches in April and May this year.
Thakur's county cricket stint will be his first since being unsold in the IPL 2025 auction in November. He has taken over 100 wickets for India in all three forms, with his most recent participation coming on the South African tour in 2023-24.
He has been in fantastic form domestically, scoring over 400 runs and taking 34 wickets at 21.67 to help Mumbai reach the semi-finals of the present Ranji Trophy.
The 33-year-old will now aim to take advantage of this opportunity as he hopes to return to the Test team.
India is scheduled to travel to England for five Tests later this year, and if Shardul Thakur performs well, he would enhance his case for selection in the squad.
Thakur's recent performances have been excellent. In a recent Ranji Trophy game against Meghalaya, he scored 84 off 42 and claimed a hat-trick on his route to match figures of 8/91. He had already scored 51 and 119 against Jammu and Kashmir in the previous match, compiling a crucial stand of 184 for the eighth wicket with Tanush Kotian.
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. County cricket is something I always wanted to experience and I am glad that I’ll be representing the Eagles,” Shardul Thakur said in the official statement.
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. 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,” Silverwood said.
The allrounder will team up with fellow overseas bowler Simon Harmer, as Essex try to get off to a great start in their quest for their first Championship crown since 2019, when they face reigning champions Surrey at home in the first round.
(ANI inputs)
