What should Ishant work on?

[Arjun]

One thing I have noticed about Ishant is that he can get the ball to drop from a height and move in the air, which can be quite a handful. I've also seen clips of Ishant making things hot for Ponting and then getting the edge, and his captain should use him for a long time when he's in that kind of form, and give him a break when he's a little overworked. That said, RP Singh is quite under-rated, and can be a bigger factor.

 

[Laurrz]

I'd say, just assist the other bowlers and work as one of a strike team, rather than the lone, individual striker. Irfan and RP Singh can swing the ball, so he can continue to hit the deck and use a little movement off the pitch. He can even perform the role of an attacking pacer- not express pace like Lee, but more like someone who'll heat up things in the middle, like Gillespie in his prime, partnering the highly accurate McGrath.

yea id compare him to Gillespie in his prime than McGrath.. a more hurrying action

 

[Debris]

yea id compare him to Gillespie in his prime than McGrath.. a more hurrying action

Gillespie in his prime was a lot quicker and bowled fuller than Sharma. McGrath seems a more natural comparison for Sharma with same speeds and length.

 

[Richard]

Who knows, maybe Sharma in his prime will be as quick as Gillespie was.

I somewhat doubt Gillespie was bowling 140-150kph at 19 years of age.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Sharma bowled alright to the left handers I thought, it was just that he didn't get that ball to hold it's line to the lefties and they felt pretty comfortable leaving him.

 

[Majin]

 

[Laurrz]

Gillespie in his prime was a lot quicker and bowled fuller than Sharma. McGrath seems a more natural comparison for Sharma with same speeds and length.

Dizzy was rather back of a length wasnt he? was never a swing bowler

 

[vic_orthdox]

Dizzy was rather back of a length wasnt he? was never a swing bowler

Nah, he always bowled pretty full, was prepared to be driven.

 

[Laurrz]

Nah, he always bowled pretty full, was prepared to be driven.

i see, never watched him in his prime

what a quality quick though ..so underrated, never wasted the new rock

 

[Richard]

i see, never watched him in his prime

How old be you then? His prime, for mine, was only 3 years ago - I'd say he peaked in that Test series in India (and went rapidly downhill so that 6 months later he was a largely spent force).

 

[Laurrz]

How old be you then? His prime, for mine, was only 3 years ago - I'd say he peaked in that Test series in India (and went rapidly downhill so that 6 months later he was a largely spent force).

oh i was watching cricket then lol

i was thinking his prime was more 01ish? when he took that 7for or something at Lords ...at his nippiest best

 

[Richard]

Well he took his big seven-for at Headingley in 1997 (as McGrath had got his eight-for at Lord's and Kasprowicz got his seven-for at The Oval).

In 2001, he started well without any particularly big hauls (took 17 wickets at 20.47 in the first 3 Tests) then went off-the-boil (2 for 304 in the last 2 Tests).

And in 2005, he was just plain horrible.

 

[ColdSnow]

Ishant Sharma has barely played 4 matches and what exactly has he done apart from that small phase of play where he troubled Ponting? And everone seems to hail him as the next big thing.

For all we know, he could become another Lakshmipathy Balaji - the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.

 

[Woodster]

Ishant Sharma has barely played 4 matches and what exactly has he done apart from that small phase of play where he troubled Ponting? And everone seems to hail him as the next big thing.

For all we know, he could become another Lakshmipathy Balaji - the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.

Not sure he has been, or should be, hailed as the next big thing. He has shown promise and to trouble one of, if not the, finest batsman in the world in one of your first few games is pretty dam impressive on its own. I think everyone realises he has an awful lot to do to become one of the best around, he is just beginning, but I think people appreciate that he has the potential/attributes to become a top class bowler, the hard part is becoming that top class bowler.

 

[Manee]

Who knows, maybe Sharma in his prime will be as quick as Gillespie was.

I somewhat doubt Gillespie was bowling 140-150kph at 19 years of age.

Indian bowlers tend to slow down rather than speed up when they get older. Case and point is Zaheer Khan (Nehra, and Munaf Patel are also examples).

Ishant is not 140-150kph as you implied. He bowls at 140kph only occasionally and one suspects that he will not be able to motivate himself to bowl as quickly when he gets home to slow tracks.

 

[Richard]

Not sure he has been, or should be, hailed as the next big thing. He has shown promise and to trouble one of, if not the, finest batsman in the world in one of your first few games is pretty dam impressive on its own. I think everyone realises he has an awful lot to do to become one of the best around, he is just beginning, but I think people appreciate that he has the potential/attributes to become a top class bowler, the hard part is becoming that top class bowler.

Indeed, I thought he looked a damn good prospect long before this tour (which I wasn't in favour of him being picked for), when I first saw him as a 17-year-old in the summer of 2006, in fact. So did many other British observers.

 

[Richard]

Ishant is not 140-150kph as you implied. He bowls at 140kph only occasionally and one suspects that he will not be able to motivate himself to bowl as quickly when he gets home to slow tracks.

No, no, sorry, was meaning that he doesn't and I'd bet nor did Gillespie at the same age.

 

[jeevan]

Indian bowlers tend to slow down rather than speed up when they get older. Case and point is Zaheer Khan (Nehra, and Munaf Patel are also examples).

Ishant is not 140-150kph as you implied. He bowls at 140kph only occasionally and one suspects that he will not be able to motivate himself to bowl as quickly when he gets home to slow tracks.

Hey, that is something Ishant could work on - honing some of his craft where the tracks are not slow. If slow tracks wont come to his home, he can try to temporarily take his home to county cricket, did wonders for Zaheer (a year or so) and RP( a couple of months).

Seriously now may be a good time for this, especially if he is going to be picked in the squad but not in the playing XI. (hard to see that in India, esp after Zaheer becomes available again).

 

[SJS]

...making sure that his hat size does not change

The Indian media, fans and ex-cricketers will do all they can to make him feel he is Larwood, Lillee and Lindwall combined. To make sure he realises that nothing could be further than the truth and that he is nothing but a youngster with promise who has tons of work to do and zillions of things to learn, is his big job.

 

[adharcric]

...making sure that his hat size does not change

The Indian media, fans and ex-cricketers will do all they can to make him feel he is Larwood, Lillee and Lindwall combined. To make sure he realises that nothing could be further than the truth and that he is nothing but a youngster with promise who has tons of work to do and zillions of things to learn, is his big job.

Well said.