Ishant Sharma's tall frame and a long flowing mane matched by his fiery pace and bounce made him look like the quintessential fast bowler from a bygone era and was quickly earmarked as India's future superstar, a tag which has weighed heavily on his slender shoulders. Ricky Ponting was at the peak of his powers when he was made to look absolutely pedestrian against a bowler from the subcontinent whose pace and bounce could have put any bowler from the Down Under to shame.
INTERNATIONAL COMMENCEMENT:
EARLY YEARS:
Ishant Sharma started playing serious cricket at the age of 14 and rapidly rose through the ranks to make his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi at the age of 18. He was referred to as #Lambu in his Under 19 days owing to his tall frame and had impressed everyone with his exploits in the domestic season.
An untimely injury to Munaf Patel led to the selection of #IshantSharma in the tour to Bangladesh where he made his debut in the second Test.
His second outing in the side was also as an injury replacement in the third Test during Pakistan's tour of India where his maiden 5 for earned him a place in India's tour to Australia.
DIZZYING HEIGHTS:
Replacing the injured #Zaheer Khan in the second Test at SCG Ishant bowled his heart out without any luck and was retained for the next match at Perth due to his spirited effort. His fourth-day spell at Perth to Ricky Ponting has become a part of cricketing folklore. He used his height and pace to maximum effect in WACA and helped his team clinch victory. He also had a good outing following CB Series again getting the better of Ricky Ponting and finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the series with 14 scalps to his name and also earned the distinction of having delivered the 2nd fastest ball ever bowled by an Indian bowler clocking an impressive 152.6 on the speed gun. His exploits Down Under led to the money gods smiling on him and he was picked for a whopping $950,000 by #KolkataKnightRiders in the inaugural IPL auction. This was the highest amount paid for any bowler during that auction catapulting him into the big league and skyrocketing his brand value. During the return leg of the Test series against Australia Ishant Sharma was again at his lethal best producing some fine spells on flat pitches to capture 16 wickets and carry India to a series win. Ishant Sharma's stock was on the constant rise and he was seen as a shining beacon who would be the torchbearer of India's golden future.
THE LOWS:
International cricket is renowned for its vagaries and Ishant Sharma got a bitter taste of it when his form slumped in 2009. IPL 2009 was held in South Africa and was believed to give Ishant an extra edge to enhance his credentials and transition into the leader of the pack. But he had a forgettable outing after being clobbered to all parts of the ground. He followed it up with another below-par outing in the T20 World Cup. In IPL 2011 he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad and due to a decent performance in the tournament and injury to senior bowlers Ishant Sharma was included in the team for the tour to West Indies and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets. In 2012 Ishant underwent an ankle surgery which led him to miss most of 2012 and the IPL. IPL 2013 didn't do his reputation any good with Ishant conceding 66 runs in 4 overs which were the most runs conceded by any bowler in the IPL history. In Australia's tour to India in 2013, he gave away 30 runs in an over equaling the record for the most runs conceded by an Indian in an over.
TEST SPECIALIST:
His ODI appearances had become sporadic and he was earmarked just for the longer formats for his tireless ability to bowl long spells and generate bounce. After some mediocre efforts, Ishant Sharma rose to the occasion at the historical Lords and helped India clinch a magnificent away win after 28 years with a career-best 7-74. He was selected in India's World Cup squad to be held in Australia keeping in mind his good record but a last-minute knee injury resulted in him being replaced by Mohit Sharma which effectively put an end to his limited-overs career. The focus on just the longest format of the game has worked wonders for his bowling and he seems to have found the much-needed consistency that deserted him in the early part of his career and he has become a force to reckon with in the Indian fast bowling array coming up with match-winning performances and guiding the newbies and helping India build an attack that is capable to take 20 wickets in all conditions.
BOWLING ACTION:
Ishant Sharma started off as a tear away fast bowler with a high arm action and his wrist perfectly behind the ball but his speed decreased as his career progressed a trend that has been a common feature in the Indian cricketing circles. It was because, as his career progressed his seam position was no longer behind the ball every time he bowled. If the seam is wobbling at the point of release it is improbable that the ball will land on the seam which in turn means negligible lateral movement off the pitch which coupled with medium pace makes him ineffective.
His tall frame allows him to generate bounce off the pitch which he had used to good effect for his career-best figures at Lords but otherwise he hasn't been able to maximize his gift as often as he would have liked to.
Whatever the shortfalls Ishant Sharma has always been known and admired for his #tirelessabilitytobowllongspells for which he has reaped rich benefits. On days when his wrist doesn't fall over or he lands the ball more often than not on the seam, he looks a completely different bowler who is beautiful to watch making the best in the world dance to his tunes.
WAY FORWARD:
The hard work and consistent line have reaped rich rewards for the workhorse Ishant Sharma in the recent tours. He has used all his experience of 10 years in the highest to come up with superlative efforts against the best in the world. In the recent tour of South Africa, he picked up 8 wickets in the 2 matches that he played at an average of 18.75. He has taken that fine form to England and is the second highest wicket-taker after 3 Tests and was especially devastating in the second innings of the first Test destroying England's middle order with some consistent and disciplined effort.
His finest quality is his ability to bowl long spells in consistent areas which might not show in the wickets column but create doubt in the batsman's mind and help other bowlers reap the reward of his hard work. He has played the role of a third seamer to perfection and his inputs and experience have been invaluable for the youngsters trying to make their mark in the national set up.
Ishant Sharma is still young and has a good 5 years of cricket left in him if he keeps himself injury free and can use that in helping India create an array of fast bowlers that would serve them in all conditions.
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