India, Feb. 18 -- India all-rounder Shardul Thakur will represent Essex in the upcoming County Championship after he agreed to a seven-match deal, beginning the 2025 season in April and May. The 33-year-old will now look to make the most of this opportunity as he has eyes set on making a comeback into the Test team.

India are slated to travel to England for five Tests later this year, and if Shardul Thakur performs well, he will strengthen his case to be included in the squad.

Recently, Shardul Thakur was not named in India's squad for the five-match Test series against Australia. Head coach Gautam Gambhir had indicated that the management is looking past Shardul, and hence, a youngster like Nitish Kumar Reddy was picked for the Border-...