Despite India being all over the place in the first Test match as they desperately seek to avert a humiliating follow-on with the scorecard wobbling at 257 for the loss of 6 wickets, Kevin Pietersen heaped plaudits on Indian fast bowler, Ishant Sharma.
Despite being wicket-less in the first two spells, he came back superbly in the last session of Day 2, castling Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer on consecutive deliveries to boost the morale of the Indian bowling line-up.
Former English captain, Kevin Pietersen heaped praises on Ishant Sharma for this sublime spell. He said that Ishant is an unsung hero of Indian cricket.
KP tweeted, “Fabulous little spell here from Ishant. And I say fabulous, as 170 overs in the field is like a prison sentence! He is also an unsung hero. He has been around for many a year in Indian cricket. As a fast bowler it is highly commendable!”
Fabulous little spell here from Ishant. And I say fabulous, as 170 overs in the field is like a prison sentence!
He’s also an unsung hero. He’s been around for many a year in Indian cricket. As a fast bowler it’s highly commendable! ??— Kevin Pietersen? (@KP24) February 6, 2021
In fact, Shabaz Nadeem also echoed KP’s sentiments, underlining the brilliance of Ishant’s double whammy towards the end of the day.
Nadeem who underwent a dry spell, managed to scalp the big wicket of Joe Root with an absolute pearler. Nadeem’s first blow was Ben Stokes as he managed to fox the southpaw with the wrong one.
Nadeem quoted, “Ishant’s two wickets were very crucial as he dismissed Buttler and Archer. He took wickets on successive deliveries and this kind of performance obviously uplifts the morale of the side. So, I feel those two wickets were important for us as if we did not get those two wickets there would have been a batsman on the crease rather than tailenders. Now, two England bowlers are on the crease, so we can say we have got an upper hand.”
England managed to pile up a monumental 578 in the first innings while India were jolted to a rude awakening as the cream of their batting was sent back to the pavilion within 73 runs. Pant and Pujara’s rippling partnership helped India to stage a turnaround and keep them afloat in a bid to avert follow-on.
As we head towards the Day 4 of the Chepauk Test, eyes will be on Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin to usher India out of this looming jeopardy.
