5 reasons why India will miss Ishant Sharma

 

The first Test of the India-New Zealand will take place on Thursday without Ishant Sharma who has been ruled out of the game after failing to recover from chikungunya. The 28-year-old fast bowler has been one of the most consistent cogs in the Indian Test machine.

While he may not be universally loved and might even have more haters than fans, there is no denying the contribution that he has made to India, especially in the longest format of the game. And his unavailability is certain something Virat Kohli would have hoped to do without.

Here are 5 reasons why India will miss Ishant Sharma:

1. Loss of pace spearhead

Ishant won’t be easy to replace

Ishant Sharma may not be among the best fast bowlers in the world right now or even one of the best to have ever played for India but there is a responsibility that he has shouldered over the past few years, which is not always easy.

Being the leader of the pace attack is no easy task and especially if you are a fast bowler in India who has that responsibility then life isn’t going to be a bed roses for him. Yet, ever since he was given the mantle of leading the attack, the 28-year-old fast bowler has been nothing if not consistent and a threat to the batsmen.

And his loss now means that one of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar or most likely, Mohammad Shami will have to take over and provide not only penetration with the new ball but also consistency and keep up the pressure before the spinners come in.