With 48 wickets in the 2014-15 season of the Ranji Trophy, Shardul Thakur finished as the joint highest wicket-taker in the multi-day tournament along with Vinay Kumar. In the absence of Dhawal Kulkarni, who was away on national duty, he led the attack from the front in Mumbaiās period of transition.
Thakur was integral to the teamās success as Mumbai made it to the semifinals before losing to defending champions Karnataka. The Mumbai pacer was awarded the Madhavrao Scindia Award for the highest-wicket taker in the Ranji Trophy in 2014-15 for his efforts on January 5, 2016.
While speaking to
bcci.tv on the occasion, Thakur said that ahead of the season, guidance of coaches ā Pravin Amre and Dinesh Lad ā proved vital to his success.
Excerpts from the interview:How do you feel after receiving the award for being the highest wicket-taker?I am very happy that I am receiving this award. I had always dreamt of being the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy and I feel very lucky that this happened in the early stage of my career. It motivates me to do better than what I have done. I played for India āAā and my performance was recognized which again is very motivating.
The responsibility of Mumbai's attack was squarely on your shoulders in 2014-15. How do you look back on the season?Zak (Zaheer Khan) was injured and Dhawal (Kulkarni) was with the Indian team, so there was no frontline seam bowler in the team and someone had to take that responsibility. I backed my potential and took it a challenge that I need get the job done. It was now or never for me. I think taking up that challenge helped me win games and take wickets.
What were you telling yourself at the time?In the off-season, I had spoken to Pravin (Amre) sir and he had shown a lot of faith in my ability. He always told me to forget about the presence of senior bowlers and think about what I can do if they are not available. So my preparation started in the off-season itself. I think because of that it got a bit easier for me in the season. There was pressure, but t I was confident about myself. I always imagined and visualized about winning games and taking four and five-wicket hauls in difficult circumstances. It helped as while actually playing, I was calm and composed.
Leading the attack for a team that is young, what are your takeaways from the season?It was a very young team and I would say that the last season (2014-15) helped us build a team for this (2015-16) season. We have very good talents in Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar and Siddhesh Lad is also coming up. We have three-four very good players from the last season. Everyone has gelled well together. Obviously we do feel bad that we didnāt win the Ranji Trophy, but we are happy that we could build the team that gelled nicely.
Personally, what did you gain the most from the season? I gained a lot of experience by leading the Mumbai bowling attack without the experienced bowlers. Secondly, I think that people have started to know me now.
What has been the key to your success and consistency?I think the two-three months that we get to prepare in the off-season around July - August need to be used to work on oneās fitness. You get some time to think about your game and to mentally prepare and visualize lots of situations. You can visualize match situations not just on the field, but off it too. I keep doing these things whenever I get time and probably that is one of the key factors for my success.
Who has played a key role in your development as a cricketer?
There are lots of people including my coaches at the U-13 level. My coach Dinesh Lad is like father-figure to me. He actually helped me grow as a person on and off the field. The senior players also helped me a lot when I came into the team. They always boosted my confidence and showed faith in my ability. All these things have helped me develop as a cricketer.
