"I learnt a lot from Zaheer Khan"- Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma will receive his 100th Test cap on Wednesday at the Motera, which is the world's largest cricket stadium. Ahead of his 100th Test appearance for Team India, Sharma credited former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan for playing a role in his success.
Ishant Sharma made his Test debut for Team India against Bangladesh in 2007, when Zaheer Khan was the pillar of the Indian pace bowling unit. Khan and Sharma shared the new ball numerous times in Test cricket.
In a virtual press conference before the third India vs England Test, Ishant Sharma mentioned he was excited to receive his 100th Test cap.
Talking about Zaheer Khan's role in his journey, Ishant Sharma said:
"I cannot say about that one thing that took my graph or brought it down. Obviously, it feels great to be playing 100 Tests, I learnt a lot from Zaheer Khan, I learnt from his work ethic. I have told everyone playing in the team that if you keep on working on your fitness, the rewards will come," he added.
Zaheer Khan played Test cricket for Team India from 2000 to 2014. The left-arm fast bowler represented the nation in 92 Tests, scalping 311 wickets at an average of 32.94. Unfortunately, injuries did not allow him to play regularly for India in the later stages of his career. If not for fitness issues, Zaheer Khan could have eventually reached the 100 Tests milestone.
Ishant Sharma will become the 11th Indian cricketer to play 100 Tests
Ishant Sharma has been an integral part of the Indian Test team over the last decade. He will join Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and VVS Laxman in the list of Indian cricketers to have played 100 Test matches.
However, unlike the legends mentioned above, Ishant Sharma's 100th Test will be a pink-ball affair. It will be interesting to see how the veteran pacer performs in his milestone match.