Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma Biography

Ishant Sharma was thrown into international cricket at a very tender age, but he showed mettle with a five-wicket haul only in his third Test against Pakistan, at Bengaluru in May 2007. A few months later, a 19-year-old Ishant had, of all people, Ricky Ponting wanting for a probing spell to end at Perth, which yielded a solitary wicket but won awe from all and sundry. The following winter he tormented the Australians at home with his reverse-swing, and was named Man of the Series. Thus began an intriguing journey that has been replete with surprising ups and embarrassing lows.

Ishant has perhaps been the only constant in India’s fluctuating bowling resources, but he has been lucky enough to get back successfully after long layoffs and even after string of poor performances. He had an ankle surgery in 2012, but returned to complete 50 Tests for India. And when the World Cup approached in 2015, Ishant bowed out with a knee injury, only to make another successful return.

Eight years after making his Test debut, Ishant became the eighth Indian bowler to 200 Test wickets in Sri Lanka, being a part of India’s series win after 22 years. Unfortunately, of all fast bowlers who have reached the landmark, he has the worst average. However, with a long career still ahead of him it can only be expected that the numbers will surge, if not improve.

Ishant is among the 17 Indians to have taken more than 100 ODI wickets. And once again, the story goes back to the 2007-08 tour of Australia when he grabbed 14 wickets in 9 games in India’s famous win in the CB series. It was perhaps his most remarkable phase in ODI cricket. Since then he has not had a five-wicket haul.

From being the one with worst bowling average having played 50 Tests to giving away 30 runs in an over that resulted in an ODI loss against Australia, Ishant has seen it all. Fans have not forgotten these either. As Ishant stood at the ropes to get the drinks in as 12th man in Mumbai during Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test in 2013, the fans cheered for him in the same passion as they did for the Little Master a few weeks after that ODI versus Australia.

But he struck back, against England at Lord’s in 2014. After refusing to heed to MS Dhoni’s advice to try bouncing England out, Ishant gave in and went as per his captain. The result was a historic win at the home of cricket after 28 long years, with Ishant returning with career-best figures in an innings of 7 for 74.

The denial to take the responsibility of becoming India’s pace spearhead, copying Zaheer Khan’s bowling action being a lanky right-hander pacer and adamantly bowling in channels outside off have been the reasons for Ishant’s struggles till date, but under an aggressive captain in Virat Kohli, the fortunes might change.

Devarchit Varma