In 2017, Ishant Sharma posted a picture on Twitter with a caption that read,“Trying to find some seam and bounce underwater.” The Delhi seamer was trolled enough to frustrate him over his dooming form.
“Ha bhai paani ke andar hi dhundle. Pitch toh milne se raha,” a random troller commented. This was just one of the so many comments that insulted Ishant.
However, Ishant Sharma kept on working hard and silenced the trolls with defining performances at regular intervals. It has been a rollercoaster ride for him, from scalping seven wickets at Lord’s in 2014 to become the first Indian bowler to claim five wickets with the pink ball.
Ishant Sharma has been in the international cricket circuit for twelve years now. He has spent quality time with Zaheer Khan-led attack to Virat Kohli’s dominant squad, this makes him the most experienced in the current attack. Sharma has left the pitch without a wicket in many instances but his passion for the game never dries up. He has learned from being a back-of-length bowler to becoming a good/fuller length bowler post-2017. His resurgence graph can be matched with the Indian test team’s graph. Both the entities struggled for a few years before making a strong comeback in 2017.
No one forgets Ishant Sharma’s fiery spell to Ricky Ponting where he surprised the former Australian captain with every delivery. India’s English tour in 2018 saw the Delhi seamer run through England’s lineup in the Birmingham test where he ended with the figures- 5/51. His recent performance versus Bangladesh in the pink ball test was superficial, the 6ft 5 inch tall pacer claimed 5 wickets for 22 runs in the first innings and cleaned the Bangladesh lineup with 4 wickets in the second innings. He also went on to win the man of the match award.
Fitness has been an issue with the 31-year-old, but his hard work in the gym pays off when he bowls longer spells and quicker balls now. Ishant Sharma has become a part of India’s prime bowling attack in the longest format. Despite the tough competition in the pace department, Ishant doesn’t seem to budge.
