Shardul Thakur profits from off-season gains

The off season is often cited as the most critical period for a cricketers' development. At the highest level, with the cramped international calendar and the addition of all sorts of T20 leagues, the off season is something that has been on the wane. At the domestic level, though, players still enjoy the benefits of a window to get back to the nets, figure out their flaws, work on them and return as improved cricketers. The effort, or the lack of it, shown by a player in the off season is very often evident on the field the following season.

Shardul Thakur's case is no different. Had it not been for his hard work over the last two off seasons, Thakur wouldn't have emerged as the highest wicket-taker halfway into this Ranji Trophy league stage. From having been virtually written off as a short and chubby pace bowler two seasons ago to having registered three five-wicket hauls in as many Ranji games this season wouldn't have been possible without the tremendous effort poured into his off-season routine.

"In my first season, I was always a confused bowler, never sure about which areas to bowl to," Thakur admits. "It was very difficult to switch over to first-class cricket from junior cricket. Every bad ball was being hit for a boundary, which wasn't the case in junior circuit. Similarly, all the good balls were also being negotiated."

Thakur got his maiden first-class call-up in 2012-13, after coming good with the new balls for Mumbai across age-group tournaments. He featured in five matches then, picking up just six wickets at 75.66. Though he had raw pace, a lack of accuracy meant his physical build was discussed more than his bowling skills.

Instead of being dejected after having a forgettable debut first-class season, though, Thakur focussed on getting into shape during the off season in 2013. He followed a strict diet and a stricter fitness regime for almost three months. The result: "I lost 12 kilos, which made me feel lighter and good at the start of last season."

Then came an injury lay-off, which forced the boy from Boisar, a town almost three hours' drive from south Mumbai, to the sidelines at the start of the 2013-14 season. But once he got a look-in, a fitter Thakur dispelled the demons of the previous season. His tally of 27 wickets from six games at 26.25 outshone Zaheer Khan.

Thakur was one of the few bowlers in domestic cricket who could consistently bowl in the 130s all through the day, but realised he had to work on his skills to take his game a notch higher and establish himself as a reliable pace bowler. Early last season, he realised the importance of working on a batsman tactically. "In the game against Vidarbha, Zaheer told me to go hard at Hemang Badani since he is uncomfortable facing bouncers. But he also told me to mix short balls with a couple of fuller ones around the wicket. I did precisely that and got him caught at gully," Thakur recalls.

Subsequently, the 2014 off season was dedicated to skills improvement. Working with Mumbai coach Pravin Amre, who has been monitoring Thakur since he joined the prestigious Shivaji Park Gymkhana as a teenager, and Omkar Salvi, who has been roped in as Mumbai's bowling coach, Thakur worked on his technique. He fine-tuned his run-up and also started using his non-bowling hand more. "It helped in picking up the pace," Thakur says.

Thakur couldn't have asked for a better opportunity than the first half of the ongoing Ranji Trophy to establish himself firmly as Mumbai's lead pacer. Zaheer was not going to be around, having been struggling to get match-fit. Dhawal Kulkarni was called up to India's squad in Australia after the first Ranji game. And a young Mumbai team was tottering, having lost the season-opener against Jammu & Kashmir.

When the team was desperately looking for individual brilliance to uplift the morale of the side, Thakur stood up. His six-wicket haul against Railways may not have been enough for Mumbai to gain the first-innings lead, but it gave him the confidence of being on the "right track". Then came the match in Kanpur, against Uttar Pradesh, and Thakur led Mumbai with ball and bat to a famous victory.

Thanks to Thakur's six-wicket haul, Mumbai had restricted UP to 206 in the first innings. But on a green top, Mumbai were reeling at 123 for 7. Thakur then showed his grit by smashing 87 to give Mumbai a sizeable lead, before forcing yet another UP collapse to help Mumbai gain six points.

He then marked a hat-trick of five-wicket hauls against Bengal, in Kolkata, to help Mumbai climb up to the second place in the Group A standings. Thakur admits it was the "first time" he was playing on three green tops in succession, and it taught him something new: "The conditions were favourable for pace bowling, but I have learnt that bowling in the right channel on such wickets is equally important as bowling quick."