Ishant Sharma is an enigma. He has the ability of evoking awe and frustration in equal measure within the span of a few minutes. With 55 Tests under his belt, he is India’s most experienced bowler today, and yet, is only 25 years old. His bowling record of 164 wickets at 37.56 is not a bad one in isolation – given he plays most of his Test matches on wickets that are not conducive to fast bowling – and yet he is considered to be an under-achiever.
Ishant’s biggest critics are also his most ardent well-wishers, for they know what brilliance he is capable of with the cricket ball and the fact that he doesn’t display it consistently, irks them. As they watch his wretched shadow toil through long, tedious overs, they restlessly wait for the real Ishant to turn up – the tall, wiry frame, fiery pace, effortful bounce, stingy swing, mean accuracy and determined eyes.
On the third day of the Trent Bridge Test, between England and India, the real Ishant showed up. After the mostly eventless first session, the lanky pacer changed the complexion of the game with a spell that was worth its weight in gold. In seven overs, he got rid of half-centurions, Samn Robson and Gary Ballance, and currently England’s best batsman, Ian Bell.
He got the odd ball to swing and seam and thumped in an odd bouncer. But on the whole, he stuck to a metronomic line and length that would’ve made Glen McGrath proud. And thus, on a dry, dormant wicket, Ishant produced a venomous spell.
Ironically, the secret to this lethal display of fast bowling was patience. "I didn't do anything special. On this kind of wickets you need to be patient and keep bowling in the right areas and when the ball starts to reverse, it is important to put the fielders in the right place and then attack. That's what I tried to do today," Ishant said of his spell.
While the world was in awe of Ishant’s spell, India’s bowling coach, Joe Dawes, was not surprised. “Ishant as been our best bowler throughout the tours of South Africa and New Zealand. Today he just got the rewards for his bowling,” Dawes told BCCI.TV, referring to Ishant’s 15 wickets in New Zealand.
According to India’s bowling coach, the change in the ball due to deformity, after the 54th over of England’s innings, was also responsible for the sudden bursts of wickets for Ishant. “The ball change proved to be crucial because the old one was reversing a bit and when they changed it, the bowlers began to get conventional swing.”
If Ishant’s spell inspired a turnaround, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who left England nine down with his in-swingers to the tailenders. Dawes praised Bhuvi for his street-smartness and skills. “Bhuvi is a very smart bowler – he knows what he is capable of and he practices his skills in a very astute way.”
Dawes also said that despite being the slowest of the three Indian pacers, it was Bhuvi who bowled the best short balls on the day.
“I don’t think the execution of the bouncer was up to the mark today. I’d have liked them to bowl a few more, especially Shami. Ishant bowled a well directed bouncer to Bell and got him. I felt Shami should’ve bowled more short balls. Bhuvi bowled the best bouncers today,” he said.
