Shardul Thakur Drops Truth Bomb On Workload Management

Shardul Thakur has spoken up on the challenges of workload management for bowlers, insisting that players are often taken for granted and rarely asked how their bodies are coping with the relentless schedule.

The fast-bowling all-rounder from Mumbai was addressing questions around workload after India’s spearhead Jasprit Bumrah faced heavy criticism during the recent five-match Test series in England for picking and choosing games to manage his fitness.

Bumrah featured in the first, third, and fourth Tests but sat out the second and fifth. Ironically, India lost two of the three matches he played in, while drawing the other, and went on to win both games in which he didn’t feature. While the results were coincidental, the 31-year-old pacer faced intense trolling from fans and even criticism from ex-cricketers over his approach.

Thakur, meanwhile, has himself been on the road non-stop since October 2024. He turned out in the Irani Cup, played nine Ranji Trophy matches, and then represented India A in two red-ball fixtures in England before playing two Tests in the main tour. 

More recently, he also captained West Zone in the Duleep Trophy against Central Zone. In this period, he also played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025..

"I appreciate these questions. No one actually comes and asks us how our body feels after playing for so many months. A lot of times we are taken for granted and the management is not to the highest level. But yes, I have been managing my body with physios, with SNCs (strength and conditioning coaches), doing constant work as it's about playing cricket," Hindustan Times quoted Thakur as saying.

Thakur acknowledged that breaks are essential, but stressed that once a game begins, there can be no holding back. "And it's about playing cricket. I'm not saying that you keep pulling yourself out from playing the games. But frequent breaks here and there are good for the body. 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. Whatever you have in your tank, you have to give it all.”

The 33-year-old also underlined that bowlers must continue giving full effort on the field. "And I believe you shouldn't be shying away from coming in and hitting the deck hard in the game, keep doing those efforts.

"Yes, when you go out of the ground and 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. If you're not having too much load in the game, then of course you can push yourself in the nets also. But if you're having a big amount of load in the game, then you can take it a little bit easy in the nets.”