'He has helped me feel comfortable' - Shardul Thakur opens up on Rohit Sharma's support in his early years

Published - 09 Dec 2025, 12:59 IST | Updated - 09 Dec 2025, 13:21 IST

Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who is set to play for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, is looking forward to reuniting with former MI captain Rohit Sharma. Shardul has broken the silence about the support he received from Rohit during the formative years of his career.

Shardul, traded from Lucknow Super Giants to Mumbai Indians for INR 2 crore, returns to the franchise where it all began. Before playing IPL and India, he was a net bowler with MI back in 2010. Shardul credited Rohit for making him feel at ease during the early stages of his career. He revealed that the batter's presence and approachability allowed him to express himself freely without hesitation.

"Abhi aur pata chalega jab saath me baithenge toh. Kaafi masti hogi. He (Rohit Sharma) made me comfortable, he allowed me to be free with him, he allowed me to express myself. We became comfortable with each other and he played a major part in it. I was lucky enough to experience the dressing room early in my days. I was already feeling comfortable in front of senior players. Somewhere down the line, whatever the way I was treated during the Mumbai Indians camp also, that small gesture from the Mumbai Indians helped me a lot to grow in my career," Shardul said.

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He also credited MI’s coaching personnel, Director of Cricket Rahul Sanghvi and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, for guiding him during his developmental years. Their role, he believes, significantly influenced his growth as a professional cricketer.

"I was already feeling comfortable in front of senior players. That small gesture from the Mumbai Indians helped me a lot to grow. I was seeing Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu… and I'm sharing the same dressing room with them. It was surreal,” he added.

Meanwhile, in 105 IPL games, he has picked 107 wickets. In the 2025 season, with LSG, Thakur picked 13 wickets in 10 games. Following the IPL he returned to India's Test squad for the England tour on the back of solid IPL and domestic performances.