'We just want a fair chance' - Thakur criticises Impact Player rule, pitches for unfavourable bowling conditions

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Shardul Thakur impressed everyone by taking six wickets in his first two matches against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) respectively.

The right-arm pacer, who joined the LSG squad as a replacement for Mohsin Khan, criticised the Impact Player rule, stating that teams bring in a batter in place of a bowler to score runs. However, he pointed out that the pitches as well are not balanced and heavily favour batters, allowing them to come in and dominate the bowlers.

“I’m speaking on behalf of all bowlers. Many might not be outspoken or may not get the chance to address the media about pitch conditions. We’ve already seen the rule change, with the Impact Player rule allowing every team to field an extra batter, especially while chasing. Even when batting first, teams now have the flexibility to substitute a batter for a bowler while that keeps the game balanced and fair, rather than favoring batters who come in and smash us. We just want a fair chance in the game,” the 33-year-old bowler said as quoted by The Times of India.

Thakur added that bowlers need to plan carefully based on pitch conditions and match situations, understanding the game to determine the approach for bowling on a given day.

“I think it’s all part of preparation. The key is understanding your own game and determining the best way to bowl on a given day. It depends on pitch conditions, the game situation, and which batter is at the crease. I don’t know about others, but I try to give myself the best chance to perform. I usually figure things out during the game assessing the pitch and situation,” he added.

Thakur also shed light on players waiting for their opportunities and seizing them when they came. The LSG bowler revealed that he has not altered his bowling style between red-ball and white-ball cricket and simply aims to put pressure on the batters.

“No, I haven’t changed anything. I'm just playing with a lot of freedom. I want to go hard at batters if they try to come hard at me. So that’s my only mindset right now,” said Thakur.