'No praise for effort had plan failed' - Ishant

[Sachinism]

Ishant Sharma, who has often been criticised for not taking enough wickets despite his experience, has said his labours go unappreciated outside the dressing room. Ishant took 7 for 74 with a bouncer barrage to win the Lord's Test for India, but said that had the wickets not come, people would not have noticed the effort that went into bowling all the short deliveries. "No one has given me as much in life as cricket has. When I go out on the cricket field, I give all that I have, every time," Ishant told bcci.tv. "Sometimes, I feel like my efforts are never appreciated by people other than my team-mates. Because I got all these wickets, people are praising me. But had I gone for runs, had the plan failed, no one would have appreciated the fact that I was continuously bowling bouncers with an 80-plus overs old ball. "It has always been like that with me and now I am pretty used to it. I am experienced enough to ensure that I don't get affected by what XYZ is saying about me. I know that my mates have the belief in me and they appreciate what I do for the team. That's enough for me to carry on. I will continue to give myself fully each time I step on the field to play for my country." Ishant had Moeen Ali fending the last ball before lunch to short leg. After the break, he had Matt Prior, Ben Stokes and Joe Root falling to pull shots, before having Stuart Broad gloving a short ball to the wicketkeeper. Ishant said that coach Duncan Fletcher felt he should bowl more bouncers, and that he had done so under instructions from captain MS Dhoni. "In my first spell of five overs, the batsmen go beaten quite a few times and the ball moved as well. So I thought the ball would still be reversing, which didn't happen. That's when MS bhai told me that since the ball has become really soft, let's try something new. "He said let's open up the whole field and bowl only bouncers. This is the last over (before lunch) and you never know what could happen. The plan worked and we decided to continue with it after lunch. We persisted with the old ball because with the new ball the batsman can judge the bounce with ease, while with the old one he cannot gauge the bounce as some might take off and an odd one will keep low. I feel all the wickets I got today should go to MS bhai because he planned them and set the field for them. "Duncan keeps telling me, 'bowl more bouncers, bowl more bouncers'. But when you go in with a plan, sometimes it works and at times it doesn't. Things happen suddenly. Today I got to learn that if you keep trying persistently with the short-ball ploy on a flat wicket with nothing in it for you, you can get rewards you never expected." England kept pulling themselves out of the contest but Ishant said with the variable bounce in the surface, they had few options. "The wicket had slowed down considerably over the five days and because of the footmarks there was a lot of variable bounce. It was very difficult for the batsmen to leave the bouncers; they had to play it and they had to go for the pull or hook." In the 2011 Test at Lord's between the two sides, Ishant had gone wicketless in the first innings before taking four in the second. He said he knew from the experience that wickets could come in a bunch on the ground. "Last time when I picked four wickets at Lord's, I remember I was bowling very well in the first session but didn't get any wickets. When I came back on, I got four wickets in no time. It was on my mind today. I knew that on this ground the wickets come in bulk. So I knew that if I stuck to my ploy patiently, I will get the rewards. I told the same to (Mohammed) Shami and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) as well, so that they keep the belief and don't give up." Shami and Bhuvneshwar have played eight Tests each compared to Ishant's 57, and he said that he shared his experiences with them on the ground. "When I am on the field, I talk to the other pacers and mainly share my experience in a similar situation. If you want to pick 20 wickets as a team, it is of paramount importance that the bowlers communicate with each other constantly. I just tell them things like how the wicket generally plays and what the particular batsman generally does. I do try to be the leader on the field because I have played more matches than them. But once we're off it, I am not a senior player because we all are almost of the same age. So, there is a dual aspect to that role." http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-india-2014/content/story/763061.html Gotta praise that effort to bang in short balls for the whole spell, you can't even relax as a slower bouncer would sit up and get smashed. :two_thumbs_up:

[King Tendulkar]

Stop playing the victim. You get stick cos don't get wickets and don't do well. Get wickets and do well then get praise. Not interested in praise for effort, that should be min requirement for playing for India

[kubrickian]

Have to say, he gives more than 100 % whenever he plays. Yes, he has been inconsistent but its not for a lack of trying. He has lacked the ability to pick wickets sometimes either because he doesnt seem to have a plan or because he lost some pace or the seam position has gone awry and couldnt get swing. He has not lived up to his early promise which is what frustrates many people. When you play for Indian team which has millions of followers and cricket is No.1 sport, you will get criticized when you don't do well. That's part and parcel of what you get. But he bowled beautifully yesterday. Great job, Ishant.

[Sachinism]

Stop playing the victim. You get stick cos don't get wickets and don't do well. Get wickets and do well then get praise. Not interested in praise for effort, that should be min requirement for playing for India

"I am experienced enough to ensure that I don't get affected by what XYZ is saying about me. I know that my mates have the belief in me and they appreciate what I do for the team. That's enough for me to carry on. I will continue to give myself fully each time I step on the field to play for my country." At the end of the day, if he's not up to it and getting smashed you could fault the selectors, but unfair to trash a bowler for putting in the effort

[express bowling]

There are many many cricketers or for that matter people in any field who put in a lot of effort. Praise from the outside world comes only when people succeed. Ishant is being naive.

[Stuge]

Huh ?? Has he lost it again . He would be ridiculed again if he is back to what he does generally.

[Crookbond]

The interview also gives the reason on persisting with the old ball.

The plan worked and we decided to continue with it after lunch. We persisted with the old ball because with the new ball the batsman can judge the bounce with ease, while with the old one he cannot gauge the bounce as some might take off and an odd one will keep low.

[beetle]

Even his coach says," The criticism he got was justified."

[goose]

The fans are always right.

[ThePhenomenal1]

he had to step up cause he was seen as the senior. no one says he doesnt run in and try but he used to suck badly and has only now become a match winner after all these years. Praise will be for consistency. Im sure even vinay gave effort but he cant hit 135-140+ or succeed an intl level.. so we should praise him?

[Pagalpanti]

I don't think anyone ever criticised him for lack of effort rather it was for lack of brains. If you need 55+ tests to learn that bouncers can reap you rewards idk what to say to that...

[CG]

Yup he is right had plan failed he would have labelled brainless by media,fans,captain.

[jusarrived]

Just goes to show that these guys know a thing or two more about Cricket than some of us do . its easy to sit here and give expert comments . I Cannot believe some people critisize every little thing ... some of the moves my seam bizzare to you ..but that may be cos you domnt have the ability to understand ?

[SLICKR392]

Just goes to show that these guys know a thing or two more about Cricket than some of us do . its easy to sit here and give expert comments . I Cannot believe some people critisize every little thing ... some of the moves my seam bizzare to you ..but that may be cos you domnt have the ability to understand ?

60+ Test and average about almost 40. His issue with seam wasn't a problem picked by ICF, but by some pundits who are far more aware of this game than you are. He has been brilliant in the last few outing but that doesn't compromise the fact that being a 50+ Test veteran he averaged in and around 40. Was very rightly criticized by his critics and even his coach agrees to it.

[renjith]

If you need 55+ tests to learn that bouncers can reap you rewards idk what to say to that...

:haha:

[coffee_rules]

You can always ridicule the performance not the effort, he says. Fact is DHoni picks him always because he puts in the effort and does what he is told to do.

[Sir john]

he is senior now so deserve some respect

[Ram]

First things first - Ishant is absolutely right in that a majority of the cricket fans are just flippant characters who wouldnt hesitate a moment to call our nation's cricketers the worst kind of names. They are not real fans, they're fanatics whom the sport is just a time-pass. On the other side, it is very surprising to find these guys to be so sensitive to outside criticism. Its quite clear they watch and listen to every single thing said about in social media. At a minimum, it acts as a damaging distraction. At worst, it could even deter our players to be bold and adventurous on the cricket field, for fear that failure of their strategy could bring about strong retribution in social media.

[Sachinism]

First things first - Ishant is absolutely right in that a majority of the cricket fans are just flippant characters who wouldnt hesitate a moment to call our nation's cricketers the worst kind of names. They are not real fans, they're fanatics whom the sport is just a time-pass. On the other side, it is very surprising to find these guys to be so sensitive to outside criticism. Its quite clear they watch and listen to every single thing said about in social media. At a minimum, it acts as a damaging distraction. At worst, it could even deter our players to be bold and adventurous on the cricket field, for fear that failure of their strategy could bring about strong retribution in social media.

I think its human nature to be concerned of how others view you. Sometimes it takes a while before you can galvanize yourself. I don't even feel its a modern issue, its gotten a lot worse with social media though. Players probably need to leave the coaching staff to read the criticism and decide whether its a valid point or not. Players are highly talented, they probably know their game better than anyone. They along with coaching staff put together plans. They have these professional coaches to iron out any wrinkles or correct any flaw in their games. So it makes sense not to read stuff which is sensationalised to sell a paper or an internet message board where people are able to hide behind a username.

[vvvslaxman]

I "It has always been like that with me and now I am pretty used to it. I am experienced enough to ensure that I don't get affected by what XYZ is saying about me. I know that my mates have the belief in me and they appreciate what I do for the team. That's enough for me to carry on. I will continue to give myself fully each time I step on the field to play for my country."

XYZ = ??? :cantstop: