"Will use this opportunity to express myself": Shardul Thakur on Duleep Trophy 2025

New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): Ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2025 season, India all-rounder Shardul Thakur shared his thoughts on the competition, saying that he would use this oppurtunity to express himself.

The competition, to be held from August 28 to September 15, will mark the start of the Indian domestic season 2025-26. Last year, the tournament shifted from its usual zonal format to having four different Indian squads, A, B, C and D, selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Expressing his views on the tournament, Shardul said while speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, "The Duleep Trophy is one tournament where a player gets rewarded for their performance in previous seasons, or rather, throughout the whole season. The top 15 players from each zone play in the tournament, and the competition again gets tougher and a level up from what you play at the state level, where there is a mix of strong and not-so-strong teams. Duleep Trophy, on the other hand, is a competition among equals, so I would like to use this opportunity to express myself and show my talent."

Shardul Thakur will be leading the West Zone in the 2025 season of the Duleep Trophy. He has never led in the first-class format, but captained Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December 2024, a one-day tournament.

Sharing his thoughts on leading the side, the 33-year-old player said, "I've been given a role and I'm leading the West Zone. So, rather than a challenge, it's more like an experience for me on the personal front, to understand what qualities a leader should possess. I believe I have a few, but using this tournament, I would want to enhance my leadership qualities further. I understand that as a captain, I will have to be available for the players, sit and discuss bowling styles and fielding positions, strategies, etc. Looking forward to what's going to open up for me in this leadership journey."

West Zone Duleep Trophy squad:

-Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Aarya Desai, Manan Hingrajia.

-Wicketkeepers: Harvik Desai, Saurabh Nawale.

-All-rounders: Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Jaymeet Patel, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja

-Bowlers: Shardul Thakur (c), Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswalla. (ANI)

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