“It has been a rollercoaster life till now” - Ishant Sharma on 300 Test wickets
An emotional Ishant Sharma described the journey of completing 300 Test wickets as a rollercoaster. The veteran medium pacer went into the Test with 297 scalps. He picked up two wickets in England’s first innings, and trapped Dan Lawrence lbw for 18 in the second to reach the landmark.
Sharing his experience, while speaking at the end of the day’s play, Ishant Sharma said:
“It has been a rollercoaster life till now. I’ve enjoyed it.”
The 32-year-old took the opportunity to thank all those who helped and trained him to bowl in different conditions over the years. The lanky pacer added:
“I’ve had a lot of mentors in my life who have taught me how to bowl in the subcontinent and aboard what kind of lengths I need to bowl."
Ishant Sharma returned to Test cricket having missed the Australia tour due to an injury he picked up during the IPL. On how he was feeling, having sent down close to 35 overs in the match, the Delhi pacer admitted:
“Feeling a bit sore, just played four-over T20 games in domestic, and came back and straightaway bowled 35 overs.”
On Monday, Ishant Sharma became only the sixth Indian bowler and third pacer to claim 300 or more Test wickets. Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other Indians on the illustrious list.
Ishant Sharma: A Test career of two contrasting halves
After an impressive start to his Test career, when he famously made Ricky Ponting look like a novice in Perth, Ishant Sharma’s career could not reach the expected heights. However, over the last few years, he has formed a lethal pace bowling combination with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
Ishant Sharma’s Test career could be split into two halves with rather contrasting returns. In his first 50 Tests, he picked up 141 wickets at an average of 38.46, with three five-wicket hauls.
In his last 48 Tests, he has done much better, claiming 159 scalps and averaging 26.87 with eight five-fors. His most famous spell came at Lord’s in 2014, when his seven for 74 bowled India to a 95-run triumph.