<p>Manchester: India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Thursday rued the lack of bowling opportunities, hoping captain Shubman Gill would entrust more faith in him.</p>.<p>The 33-year-old was a surprise choice for the five-match series in England with the selection committee, headed by fellow Mumbaikar Ajit Agarkar, feeling his past experience of playing in the Old Blighty would come in handy for a transitioning team. </p><p>The other seaming all-rounder chosen was the 22-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out just before the ongoing fourth match due to a knee injury.</p>.India vs England: Crawley bulldozes his way back .<p>Coach Gambhir and skipper Gill chose experience over youth for the series opener in Leeds, but Thakur failed miserably in that five-wicket defeat. He scored 1 and conceded 38 runs in the six overs he bowled. Thakur was the last bowling option made by Gill, but the Mumbaikar did not help his cause by bowling erratically, albeit on a placid pitch, and got carted for runs. Thakur flopped with bat in the second innings too, scoring 4, but fared slightly better with the ball, bagging 2/51 in 10 overs. Again, he was the last bowling option. </p>.Stokes, batters put England in control.<p>Thakur was promptly dropped for Nitish in the next two games, where the Andhra cricketer made a decent impression before injuring himself. That paved the way for Thakur’s return, and while he fared better with the bat, scoring a gritty 41 off 88 balls, he again erred with the ball, conceding 35 runs in five overs. He struggled for control, often straying the ball down the leg side. He attributed his lack of control to the skipper’s lack of confidence in his bowling skills.</p>.<p>“If we talk about the first match, he (Gill) said that there was no chance of bowling. I said, okay. Usually, the captain takes calls,” lamented Thakur at Thursday’s press conference. “The player doesn't have much of a say. And as far as this match is concerned, I think as the game progresses, I hope to get more chances. There are three days left, and I hope to bowl.</p>.<p>“It is always difficult to get the rhythm. When you don't know how many balls you will get, or when you will get it, it’s hard to maintain rhythm. But whatever experience I have, I will try to use it.”</p>
<p>Manchester: India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Thursday rued the lack of bowling opportunities, hoping captain Shubman Gill would entrust more faith in him.</p>.<p>The 33-year-old was a surprise choice for the five-match series in England with the selection committee, headed by fellow Mumbaikar Ajit Agarkar, feeling his past experience of playing in the Old Blighty would come in handy for a transitioning team. </p><p>The other seaming all-rounder chosen was the 22-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out just before the ongoing fourth match due to a knee injury.</p>.India vs England: Crawley bulldozes his way back .<p>Coach Gambhir and skipper Gill chose experience over youth for the series opener in Leeds, but Thakur failed miserably in that five-wicket defeat. He scored 1 and conceded 38 runs in the six overs he bowled. Thakur was the last bowling option made by Gill, but the Mumbaikar did not help his cause by bowling erratically, albeit on a placid pitch, and got carted for runs. Thakur flopped with bat in the second innings too, scoring 4, but fared slightly better with the ball, bagging 2/51 in 10 overs. Again, he was the last bowling option. </p>.Stokes, batters put England in control.<p>Thakur was promptly dropped for Nitish in the next two games, where the Andhra cricketer made a decent impression before injuring himself. That paved the way for Thakur’s return, and while he fared better with the bat, scoring a gritty 41 off 88 balls, he again erred with the ball, conceding 35 runs in five overs. He struggled for control, often straying the ball down the leg side. He attributed his lack of control to the skipper’s lack of confidence in his bowling skills.</p>.<p>“If we talk about the first match, he (Gill) said that there was no chance of bowling. I said, okay. Usually, the captain takes calls,” lamented Thakur at Thursday’s press conference. “The player doesn't have much of a say. And as far as this match is concerned, I think as the game progresses, I hope to get more chances. There are three days left, and I hope to bowl.</p>.<p>“It is always difficult to get the rhythm. When you don't know how many balls you will get, or when you will get it, it’s hard to maintain rhythm. But whatever experience I have, I will try to use it.”</p>