Unsold in IPL 2025 mega auction, Shardul Thakur signs county deal with Essex

Shardul Thakur has played 11 tests for India.

On Tuesday, February 18, Essex announced the signing of Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur for seven games in the 2025 County Championship.

After a tough 2024, which saw him fall out of favor with the Indian test team, Shardul Thakur had marked his Ranji Trophy return with a hat-trick against Meghalaya and a century against Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, Shardul had gone unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction as well.

Shardul Thakur signs county deal with Essex

Essex have signed Shardul Thakur for seven games in the 2025 County Championship. This will be Shardul’s first-ever stint with a county team.

Expressing his excitement about this new venture, Shardul said he had always wanted to play county cricket.

Shardul said, “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.“

Essex Director of Cricket, Chris Silverwood, stated that the team was looking for a quality seam bowler who could contribute with the bat in the lower order, and Shardul’s inclusion would provide exactly that.

He added, “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.”

Shardul’s test cricket stats include 31 wickets at an average of 28.3 and 331 runs at a batting average of 20, including four half-centuries.

With India’s next test assignment being the tour of England, the Indian all-rounder will look to make a comeback to the Indian team with strong performances in County cricket.

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