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Ishant Sharma, India's lifeline


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 Great little article by Monga in praise of Ishant Sharma. It's easy to criticise him for who he's not but sometimes we should credit him for who he is.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22233969

 

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India could have easily rolled over and died in Johannesburg. It would have been nothing new. A series lost away from home. People asking questions. We have been there before. Apart from Perth in 2007-08, when the team felt victimised in Australia, India don't do well after losing a series. This team, though, has shown it can turn back and bite.

It is a far cry from the ones that sleepwalked from one nightmare to another in England in 2011 and in Australia in 2011-12. This team made all the bold calls - "We had the belief, now we have the result," Virat Kohli said - backed it up with batting full of courage and skill and and bowling that was ruthless to bring India a "sweet" victory that "will be remembered for a long time".

Most importantly, the joy they felt at this win - led by captain Kohli - in a format fighting for survival shows at least Indian Test cricket is in good hands. When they are celebrating this win, and they deserve to, they will do well to spare a thought for a man who has seen the worst of Indian Test cricket. This win will be extra sweet for the only survivor among those who featured prominently in the two whitewashes in England and Australia.

 

Ishant Sharma bowled uncomplainingly in each of those eight defeats. Others pulled hammies and went home, Ishant turned up at the nets and bowled. Others would bowl poorly and be taken off, Ishant would bowl just well enough to keep getting long spells without any support. Others would bowl within themselves to last a series, Ishant would leave everything on the ground. Australian batsmen off the record would attribute other Indian bowlers' success to the pressure from Ishant's end, but India would ridicule "unlucky Ishant".

 

He had his problems. He was not a strike bowler. His stock length was a little short. He was not a swing bowler. He was a third seamer forced to be the lead seamer because the other options were not reliable. He struggled in ODIs. Whatever Ishant might have been, he was not a shirker. The captain could go to him anytime, and he would be ready to bowl, no matter the situation. He would bowl the dirty overs and the glamour bowlers would swoop in when he would create a breakthrough.

Ishant is now India's most experienced Test player and he hardly ever bowls a bad ball nowadays even though he doesn't take wickets by the truckload. He is part of an attack that is fit and skillful and varied. At times, he is still left out on helpful pitches. But when things go bad, he is the man Kohli goes to. Ishant is India's lifeline. He keeps India in games. He gives others a chance to recover and be available to strike when the opposition is vulnerable.

 

"Obviously, I am the senior fast bowler of this team so I have to take the responsibility [of bowling these tough overs]," he said in Centurion. "If I can take responsibility and take those important wickets for the team, I am always up for it." It was assumed he had been dropped when the pitch was green in Cape Town and called up on the brown one at SuperSport Park, but Ishant also clarified he had not been well just before the first Test. Not to say that the team doesn't value him, but nobody in the management bothered to communicate that.

 

In some of India's more memorable wins of late, even dating as far back as Lord's 2014, Ishant has worked when nothing else has. In Bangalore, when India were bowled out for 189 on the first day, Ishant prevented Australia from dominating. It wasn't a pretty spell, his analysis had only one in the last column, but he conceded runs at just 1.77 an over.

In the sweet win of Johannesburg, Ishant did the same in both innings. India were bowled out for 187, nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada was beginning to hurt them, and it was Ishant who first plugged the runs and then took the wicket. In the second innings, when Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla looked like running away with the Test, Ishant again dragged them back. Unlike Mohammed Shami, or even Jasprit Bumrah at times, there were no loose balls. Amla couldn't drive him, couldn't punch him, and eventually played the shot he did to get out.

In that seven-over spell, Ishant produced the wicket of Faf du Plessis too with a ball that seamed in a mile and hit the off stump. This was a rare sexy wicket for him. He had earned it, and the celebration to go with it. In the end, Ishant only has eight wickets to show for his work in South Africa, but his economy rate is the best for an Indian in the series: 2.17. And it wasn't achieved by hiding the ball outside off; it came through hard lengths bowled just outside off. The same lengths that make him an unappealing option in limited-overs cricket and leaves him unsold at IPL auctions.

Ishant might not trend on Twitter. But in the change room, they will value the three wickets he took in the match as much as the five-fors two of his team-mates took. They know there will again be some day when the pitch will be flat, when the opposition will have a big partnership going, when dirty overs will have to be bowled.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, FischerTal said:

after 10 years of investment, his main achievement is that he is a reliable workhorse. yet  people still praise him :facepalm:

It is not what we all thought he'd  be when he was bamboozling Ponting all  those years ago... but it is a valuable skill and asset in itself. If it means strike bowlers can bowl quick short spells at the other end.

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6 hours ago, Dada's Army said:

 Great little article by Monga in praise of Ishant Sharma. It's easy to criticise him for who he's not but sometimes we should credit him for who he is.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22233969

 

 

Great article. It perfectly exemplifies what people (on ICF for e.g.) supporting Ishant Sharma's inclusion see in him. 

We observe only the peripheral numbers and judge people. It is about one of those silent hard workers who do almost everything in the background and help create memorable moments that leave you forever enthralled, is what author is articulating about. Ishant Sharma's value cannot be measured on his numbers alone. I know there are many members in this forum who still want to make fun of "unlucky Ishant", but it won't be long they too realize and recognize what Ishant has been bringing to the table for team India. 

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3 hours ago, Sooda said:

It is not what we all thought he'd  be when he was bamboozling Ponting all  those years ago... but it is a valuable skill and asset in itself. If it means strike bowlers can bowl quick short spells at the other end.

there were other bowlers who could have been given the chances that he was. look at pankaj singh. poor chap was discarded after two tests. if you are going to back someone, no problem with that, but you also have to give the same opportunities. 

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Career averages
  Span Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10  
unfiltered 2007-2018 81 144 2600.0 502 8411 234 7/74 10/108 35.94 3.23 66.6 7 1 Profile
filtered 2014-2018 28 51 868.3 175 2627 85 7/74 9/162 30.90 3.02 61.3 4 0  
Career summary
GroupingAscending Span Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10  
v Australia 2014-2017 6 12 203.0 35 643 12 3/38 6/155 53.58 3.16 101.5 0 0 view innings
v Bangladesh 2015-2017 2 3 40.0 8 133 3 2/40 3/109 44.33 3.32 80.0 0 0 view innings
v England 2014-2016 4 6 146.0 30 440 17 7/74 7/135 25.88 3.01 51.5 1 0 view innings
v New Zealand 2014-2014 2 4 106.0 14 377 15 6/51 9/162 25.13 3.55 42.4 2 0 view innings
v South Africa 2015-2018 5 9 131.0 39 265 9 3/46 5/86 29.44 2.02 87.3 0 0 view innings
v Sri Lanka 2015-2017 5 10 158.3 31 512 21 5/54 8/86 24.38 3.23 45.2 1 0 view innings
v West Indies 2016-2016 4 7 84.0 18 257 8 2/30 3/70 32.12 3.05 63.0 0 0 view innings
 
in Australia 2014-2014 3 6 125.0 24 434 9 3/38 6/155 48.22 3.47 83.3 0 0 view innings
in Bangladesh 2015-2015 1 1 7.0 0 24 0 - - - 3.42 - 0 0 view innings
in England 2014-2014 3 4 115.0 22 381 14 7/74 7/135 27.21 3.31 49.2 1 0 view innings
in India 2015-2017 10 19 272.3 70 702 18 3/37 5/80 39.00 2.57 90.8 0 0 view innings
in New Zealand 2014-2014 2 4 106.0 14 377 15 6/51 9/162 25.13 3.55 42.4 2 0 view innings
in South Africa 2018-2018 2 4 69.0 12 150 8 3/46 5/86 18.75 2.17 51.7 0 0 view innings
in Sri Lanka 2015-2015 3 6 90.0 15 302 13 5/54 8/86 23.23 3.35 41.5 1 0 view innings
in West Indies 2016-2016 4 7 84.0 18 257 8 2/30 3/70 32.12 3.05 63.0 0 0 view innings
 
in Africa 2018-2018 2 4 69.0 12 150 8 3/46 5/86 18.75 2.17 51.7 0 0 view innings
in Americas 2016-2016 4 7 84.0 18 257 8 2/30 3/70 32.12 3.05 63.0 0 0 view innings
in Asia 2015-2017 14 26 369.3 85 1028 31 5/54 8/86 33.16 2.78 71.5 1 0 view innings
in Europe 2014-2014 3 4 115.0 22 381 14 7/74 7/135 27.21 3.31 49.2 1 0 view innings
in Oceania 2014-2014 5 10 231.0 38 811 24 6/51 9/162 33.79 3.51 57.7 2 0 view innings
 
home 2015-2017 10 19 272.3 70 702 18 3/37 5/80 39.00 2.57 90.8 0 0 view innings
away 2014-2018 18 32 596.0 105 1925 67 7/74 9/162 28.73 3.22 53.3 4 0 view innings

 

 

Those are decent numbers no matter how you look at it. He had done well in India earlier and was totally crap overseas. But highlight of this phase of his bowling is that he averages 28.73 overseas. 

 

He had 3 5-fers in first 53 matches and in next 28 he has taken 4.

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