Shardul Thakur on India snub after Ranji fifty: 'They should consider quality over reputation'

Despite Mumbai boasting a star-studded team with the comeback of India captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the defending champions faced a major setback, stumbling to 47/7 on their home turf. However, Thakur stepped up with a composed innings, scoring 51 runs off 57 deliveries, which included five boundaries and two maximums, to guide the team to a total of 120 all out.

The half-century knock served as a major reminder of Thakur's heroics in the last season at the very same venue, where he had smashed his maiden First-Class century in the semifinal match against Tamil Nadu. Batting at No. 9, the right-hander clobbered 13 boundaries and four sixes in his 105-ball 109 as Mumbai bounced back from 106 for seven to 378, en route to a win by an innings and 70 runs.

'If someone has quality...'

Speaking to the reporters after Day 1, Thakur took the opportunity to draw the attention of the national selectors to his recent batting knocks in red-ball cricket, saying that both came in "adverse conditions."

He said: "What can I talk about my quality? Others should talk about it. They should see that if someone has quality, he should be given more chances. I like batting in difficult situations. In easy situations, everyone does well, but how you put up the show in adverse situations matters. I see tough situations as a challenge and always think about how to overcome that challenge."

In addition to being snubbed for a spot in the Test team, Thakur also went unsold at the IPL mega auction last November. But he reckoned that moving on from the setback is important.

“You have to forget whatever has happened in the past; it is not going to change. It is important to be in the present and think about what you can do in the near future,” he said.

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