Ishant Sharma

Trivia

• Ishant Sharma toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07.
• Ishant Sharma got a call back in the team in the 3rd Test Match during Pakistan's tour of India in December 2007 due to injury of India's frontline pacers Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, and Sreesanth.
• In May 2007, he was selected in the test team for the Bangladesh tour and played as a replacement for the fast bowler Munaf Patel.
• He scalped two important wickets on February 18, 2008 versus Australia in the 7th ODI of CB series.
• He ended up with the figures of 4/38 and claimed the man of the match award.
• On February 10, 2008, Ishant Sharma bagged four important wickets in the 4th ODI of CB Series against Australia.
• Ishant Sharma was left out in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as India retained their main fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh.
• He thereby became the first Indian paceman to win such an award in a Test series on Indian soil after Kapil Dev who won the award in 1983.
• During the 2008 Test series against Australia in India, Ishant Sharma was the leading wicket-taker, with 15, and was named man-of-the-series as India won 2–0.
• On the basis of his recent strong performance in Australia, Ishant Sharma was lapped up for an astounding winning bid of $950,000 by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the player auction for the IPL twenty20.

Quotes

• "People say I’m a genuine fast bowler, perhaps the first to come out from India ... I don't know how true that is, because we have produced great bowlers, but I’m very proud of being tagged ‘fast’. I’m not going to give it up ever. Even in Sri Lanka, I tried to bowl fast. Yes, I erred in length, but I will never compromise on speed."
• "I think the captain is only as good as his team. The fact was that the team did not perform and it did not matter who the captain or coach was at that point in time"
• "It was a learning experience, but it was really odd losing so many close matches. It was something new because I have never been in a similar situation playing cricket at any level."
• "I have never been on the losing side for such a long time and it was the toughest phase of my career."
• "All through these years I didn't think bowling bouncers was necessary to me. But now I am realising with my pace it can make a difference. I am now practicing bowling bouncers."
• "I'm better off as one-change."
• "I don't bowl up to the batsmen which is essential when you are operating with the new ball. I don't swing the ball as much as I look to hit the deck and bowl back of length stuff. So I would say that I am better off as one-change."
• "I'm realising with my pace."
• "I was off my line in the final but then you have to consider the conditions."
• "This issue of drop in pace depends on conditions. In Australia you could be quick in air while in sub-continental conditions it's different. I am essentially a fast bowler and I don't ever want to be a medium-fast bowler."