“I would want to enhance my leadership qualities further” - Shardul Thakur opens up on being appointed as West Zone captain for Duleep Trophy

Indian bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who is all set to lead the West Zone in the forthcoming Duleep Trophy 2025-26 season, has opened up on his plans ahead of the start of the upcoming domestic season.

Notably, Duleep Trophy 2025-26 will mark the start of the Indian domestic season 2025-26. It is set to start from August 28 and conclude on September 15. All the games are scheduled to be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground and Ground B in Bengaluru.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar on RevSportz, Thakur has asserted that the Duleep Trophy tournament gives him a chance to compete among equals, unlike other competitions, and he would love to use the opportunity to express himself and show his talent. 

"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 told RevSportz.

Furthermore, Thakur is keen to take up the leadership role and enhance his leadership qualities during the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 campaign. He also noted down the qualities that make a decent skipper. Notably, Thakur doesn’t have experience in leading a first-class team so far, although he led Mumbai in the 50-over tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

"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,” he added.

West Zone Duleep Trophy 2025-26 squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Aarya Desai, Manan Hingrajia, Harvik Desai, Saurabh Nawale, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Jaymeet Patel, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Shardul Thakur (c), Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

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