He played two matches on the England tour.
Workload management is the new black. From India’s Jasprit Bumrah to Australia’s Pat Cummins, the words workload management have reverberated on every cricket panel and experts’ sets. But another pacer from India, Shardul Thakur, has an interesting take on it while participating in the Duleep Trophy 2025.
“A lot of times we are taken for granted and the management is not to the highest level. No one actually comes and asks us how our body feels after playing for so many months,” Shardul shared on the last day of the semi-final match between West Zone and Central Zone.
The 33-year-old pacer has been playing cricket continuously for the past 11 months, competing in a mix of domestic and international tournaments across various formats.
Shardul participated in the Irani Cup 2024, in which his team Mumbai won under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane. The pacer then took part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, taking 10 wickets in seven games. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25, he was the top wicket-taker for his team with 15 scalps in nine games.
He then joined the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) camp ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as an injury replacement. Then followed India A and the senior team’s games in England.
Speaking about managing workloads and opting out of playing a couple of games or series in between, Shardul shared his honest views and methods.
“It’s about playing cricket. I’m not saying that you keep pulling yourself out. Once you enter the game, you can’t be talking about workload management because then the game situation also takes over. When you go into the game, you’re expected to give your best. When you’re resting back home or you have those breaks in between the game, that’s where you try to manage your bodies and try to manage your load,” the LSG pacer added.
During the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Shardul featured in two Tests but could manage only two wickets. He was often not trusted with the ball for long spells and was expensive. In Manchester, he made a fighting 41 with the ball. It was the same tour when Bumrah played only three out of five Tests, which was pre-decided during IPL.
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The West Zone skipper was wicketless in his only Duleep Trophy 2025 match, but he added a crucial 64 in the first innings.
Batting first in the semi-final in Bengaluru, West Zone got off to a poor start with their openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harvik Desai, adding only five runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 184 dominated the innings, while Tanush Kotian also contributed 76 runs. Shardul’s 64 was laced with seven boundaries and a six. They ended strong with 438 on the board, while Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey wrapped up with both picking up three wickets each.
The top four batters from Central Zone, including skipper Rajat Patidar, who put up a 77-run knock, added 270+ runs. Shubham Sharma was the top-scorer, marginally missing his century by four runs. Central Zone posted a mammoth 600, despite a four-wicket haul by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and a three-wicket haul by Arzan Nagwaswalla. Meanwhile, Shardul’s bowling figures read 11-2-42-0.
Batting again, West Zone managed 216/8 as the last wicket of the skipper fell for just six runs. Eventually, the match was drawn, and Central Zone won on the basis of the first innings. They will face Mohammed Azharuddeen’s South Zone for the Duleep Trophy 2025 Final in Bengaluru, starting on September 11.
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