One of the most experienced players in Virat Kohli’s squad currently is Ishant Sharma. He debuted for team India in 2007 and has been a mainstay in the bowling line up for Tests but has not been able to perform his best in the white-ball cricket.
During his Test career, Ishant Sharma has picked up 297 wickets in Tests and would be looking forward to completing 300 wickets on India’s highly anticipated tour ‘Down Under’. Ishant Sharma is only 3 games away from becoming the 2nd fastest bowler from team India to feature in 100 Test matches after the legendary Kapil Dev.
However, the biggest turning point of Ishant Sharma’s career came when he played a crucial role during the 2013’s Champion Trophy and saw India lifting the title. But a few months later, Ishant Sharma also faced the lowest point in his career.
Recently, in an interview, Ishant Sharma described the moment as the turning point in his career. He revealed how he felt as if he has betrayed his country when Australia’s James Faulkner smashed him for 30 runs in an over. He revealed:
“The turning point of my life came in 2013. Faulkner hit me for 30 runs in one over in an ODI in Mohali that Australia went on to win,”
He added:
“At that time I felt I had betrayed myself and my country,”
Ishant Sharma further revealed how he didn’t speak to anyone and how he called his girlfriend and cried like a baby. He revealed:
“For two-three weeks, I didn’t speak to anyone. I cried a lot. I am a very tough guy. My mother says she hasn’t seen a tougher person than me. [But] I called my girlfriend and cried on the phone like a child. Those three weeks were like a nightmare. I stopped eating. I couldn’t sleep or do anything else. You switch on the television and people are criticizing you, which messes you up even more,”
He added:
“I laugh about it now and I consider it a blessing in disguise. Sometimes you need a jolt to understand your passion. After the Faulkner incident, I went through major changes in my life. After 2013, I started taking things seriously. Before that, if I had a bad performance, people would come and tell me ‘It’s okay, it happens.’ But after 2013, if someone came to me and said that, I wouldn’t listen. If I have made a mistake, I have made a mistake. I started taking responsibility for my actions. When you do that, you play every match to win it for the team,”
