Ishant SharmaÃÔ comment that he is not the senior fast bowler in the Indian attack is baffling

[vivek_singh3187]

http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Ishant-Sharma-rsquo-s-comment-that-he-is-not-the-senior-fast-bowler-in-the-Indian-attack-is-baffling/22284 India has never been the breeding ground for fire-breathing fast bowlers. Talented and durable pacemen have come rarely, and seldom have sides been armed with the firepower to blast the opposition out on the quick foreign pitches. Of course, we can endlessly speculate about the figures of Mohammad Nissar and Amar Singh had they been born in eras that witnessed more frequent Test matches. But, when the cold hard numbers are tested against the dispassionate background of time, only three names manifest themselves with claims of being of all-time greats. Leading the way, standing head and shoulders above the rest is the legendary figure of Kapil Dev with 434 wickets in 131 Tests. He is followed by the hardened Zaheer Khan with 295 wickets from 88. After them comes tearing in that ever-striving soldier of Indian cricket who perhaps never got his due from the cricketing community, Javagal Srinath with 236 wickets from 67 Test matches. Running in to bowl following their giant footsteps, both in terms of matches played and wickets taken, we find the youthful Ishant Sharma. The five and a half years that he has played for India has resulted in 47 Tests and 137 wickets. Seen in this context, it is extremely surprising to hear Ishant saying: Ū donÃÕ think I am the senior fast bowler in the team because everyone is of a similar age, though I have played more matches and I have played with other boys as well. Not ready to be a leader? Age, that timeless foe that dogs fast men with relentless purpose, has now caught up with Zaheer Khan. He is no longer a regular spearhead of the Indian attack.His form has been under constant scrutiny since he limped off clutching his hamstring during the disastrous English summer of 2011. None of the other names discussed in the plans of the fast-bowling future have yet played 10 Tests. Compared to the Umesh Yadavs, Varun Aarons and the others, IshantÃÔ experience seems immense. Common sense dictates that an experienced player of 47 Tests is the ideal figure to mentor and nurture the young crop. However, IshantÃÔ unwillingness to be branded as the leader of the lot is a matter of concern. He has said that right now there are plenty of bowlers in the same age-group. Yes, Ishant himself is just 24. However, when has age overridden experience in cricket? By the time Kapil had played five and a half seasons, he was also just 24. By that time he had already been hailed as one of the best all-rounders of his era. He had been for several years the undisputed head of the Indian pace attack which started and stopped with him. He had already led India in Tests, and had also lifted the Prudential World Cup. Karsan Ghavri, Madan Lal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu were all considerably older than him and had shared the new ball with the Å©aryana Hurricane? but there was no doubt about who the senior partner was. When Srinath entered his fifth season as a pace bowler, he had already led the attack in England in 1996, and had bowled India to a thrilling win at Ahmedabad against South Africa. And, since his career had taken off late, due to the rather protracted last phase of Kapil Dev, Srinath had played just about 20 Tests in that period. Yet, it did not stop him from charging in with the new ball, assuming full leadership of the Indian pace attack. Zaheer had not enjoyed as much success in his first five years, but he has not shrugged off the responsibility either. With Srinath no longer around, he had taken up the role of senior bowler, and had matured within the next two years into a phenomenal match winner. Pace bowler Career After 47 Tests M Wkts Ave Wkts Ave Leader of the pack? Kapil Dev 131 434 29.64 187 29.52 Undisputed Zaheer Khan 88 295 32.25 142 34.98 Undisputed Javagal Srinath 67 236 30.49 171 30.33 Undisputed Ishant Sharma 47 137 38.00 137 38.00 Ū donÃÕ think I am. Seen against the backdrop of these three exemplary men, IshantÃÔ comment does drop dangerous hints of refusing to assume responsibility. Apart from the Test matches, Ishant has also played 53 One-Day Internationals for India making his overall appearances for the country exactly 100 in these two formats. If we take Twenty 20 Internationals into account, the figure reaches 173. If that is not enough, no amount of future experience is likely to prepare him for the task. IshantÃÔ average and strike-rate in Test cricket is not exactly brilliant, but neither was Zaheer KhanÃÔ at this stage of his career. The transition from promise to delivery can be achieved with the right sort of attitude. Kapil Dev had plenty of it, as did Srinath and Zaheer. However, in that respect IshantÃÔ hesitation is ominous. We can find the reflection of this attitude in his performance as well. As long as Zaheer Khan was the undisputed leader of the attack and Ishant performed his role as a junior bowler, his figures had been impressive. He had shown great promise, picking up 112 wickets in 34 Tests at 32.60 at a reasonable strike rate of 57. Since the ominous day Zaheer hobbled off the ground at LordÃÔ, Ishant has managed a mere 25 wickets in 13 Tests at 63.88 with an atrocious strike rate of 115.20. Going by the numbers or by IshanÃÔ own words, there are discouraging signs that the big hope of Indian pace bowling is not comfortable bearing the mantle of the leader of the pack. Ishant's figures M Wkts Ave SR Before Lord's 2011 34 112 32.6 57.00 Since Lord's 2011 13 25 63.88 115.20

[Needforspeed]

He has no luck and he has no brains. Otherwise he is tailunted..

[Clarke]

Its not his fault that he's unlucky :dontknow:

[kubrickian]

He did superbly in test series in West Indies. Under performed in England and Australia but bowling failed as a whole because they were defending poor scores by batsmen. He came back with decent performances in last two tests against England in India and bowled well against Pakistan in ODIs.

[vayuu1]

He has no luck and he has no brains. Otherwise he is tailunted..

If he is not thinking enough why not drop him,no point in playing him,as their is a famous saying by tharki baba"Anari ka ch**na ch**t ka satya naashso he needs to work hard.

[Lord]

He did superbly in test series in West Indies. Under performed in England and Australia but bowling failed as a whole because they were defending poor scores by batsmen. He came back with decent performances in last two tests against England in India and bowled well against Pakistan in ODIs.

only good series he has had are WI away n Pak at home.both might baytting lineups:hail:

[Trichromatic]

One of the worst fast bowler to play 40+ test.

[panther]

One of the worst fast bowler to play 40+ test.

Will he break sami average?

[game_changerr]

Will he break sami average?

he can,,he can,,,he has just shattered dilhara fernando's record

[yoda]

He has the build and basic mechanics to be a good bowler. He needs some serious coaching on how to get the ball to the stumps and give him a chance to get a wicket.

[CG]

only good series he has had are WI away n Pak at home.both might baytting lineups:hail:

:hysterical::hysterical: Forgetting the Ind vs aus series of 2008 in india .where he was Mos agianst the No 1 team in the world.It was the best performance by an indian fast bowler in a decade at home.

[Lord]

:hysterical::hysterical: Forgetting the Ind vs aus series of 2008 in india .where he was Mos agianst the No 1 team in the world.

arre bhai,that was too far back.I'm talking last 3 yrs

[Vilander]

he has not been doing well recently and so is reluctant to talk himself up..dont miss read it.

[Dumbbells]

I don't care what he says to the media as long as he keeps picking wickets and performing well. He has done well in whatever opportunities he has got against pakis and England.

[Old guy]

I don't care what he says to the media as long as he keeps picking wickets and performing well. He has done well in whatever opportunities he has got against pakis and England.

some one forgetting first 2 odis and the fact he lost one match vs pakis by not even picking 1 wicket when bhuvan was doing everything

[Lord]

Ishant has always been an idiot while giving interviews.after successful tour to WI,wen reporters asked how he was successful,he replied that even he didnt know where the ball will move,so how will the batsmen know:hysterical: and his comment about England tour disater 'form is temporary class is permanent':hysterical:

[Old guy]

:hysterical:

[vivek_singh3187]

That's what amazes me..despite of playing for 3-4 years...he's not ready to take the responsibility...I remember few ODI series back, Vinay Kumar was the only 7-8 match experienced pacer we had, at that time he said that though he's new he is ready to take responsibility of leading the pace attack..while Ishant still looks like second or third in command. Even Bhuvi & Shami were bowling like experienced bowlers against English....

[Dumbbells]

some one forgetting first 2 odis and the fact he lost one match vs pakis by not even picking 1 wicket when bhuvan was doing everything

He has picked wickets in all the odis he has played against Pak and only struggled against England in the first ODI where every bowler(including Enland's) got smashed.

[Old guy]

He has picked wickets in all the odis he has played against Pak and only struggled against England in the first ODI where every bowler(including Enland's) got smashed.

getting smashed at 6 rpo is diff then getting smashed at 8 rpo and im talking abt wicket with new ball which would have sealed the match he picked up paki lower order wickets which were of no value