**Official** Ishant Sharma Disparagement Thread

[CricAddict]

Howmany bowlers have taken more wickets than IS has at his current age? Can't be too many! His average is rather crappy, but so was Anderson's for a long time. And Sharma has the excuse of bowling a majority of his deliveries in India.

Ishant Sharma is terrible, his recent spell notwithstanding. Having got used to cribbing about him, I cannot think of him as having become a good bowler.

 

[smash84]

Hard to talk down a bowler's success by attributing it to luck or batsmen's follies. Especially when bowlers get little slack for bad luck when they fail to take wickets. Besides Sharma showed an ability to take his wickets with different lengths which is impressive versatility. India now have Bhuvi and Sharma capable of taking wickets and with Shami are looking a threatening attack now.

A threatening attack to the likes of NZ or Pakistan maybe but otherwise you are going overboard.

Hilarious article on cricinfo.

England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 5th day : Ridiculed Ishant ridicules England | Cricket Features | England v India ? Investec Test Series | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[the big bambino]

All I know is that Eng aint SL or Pakistan and India are one up thanks to their bowlers.

 

[ankitj]

No one appreciates my efforts other than teammates: Ishant Sharma

 

[silentstriker]

Maybe it's always been Dhoni telling Sharma to bowl ****ty lengths and lines. It just worked out this time.

 

[the big bambino]

Yeah but with England always needing to push the run rate to get the target maybe it was worthwhile to test them out on the hook as they were bound to go after it. If it didn't work no biggy; pick another plan. But it did so credit to the bowler and captain.

 

[Uppercut]

Maybe it's always been Dhoni telling Sharma to bowl ****ty lengths and lines. It just worked out this time.

Dhoni is crazy unorthodox at times but "all over the pitch with a liberal sprinkling of no-balls" as a tactic seems a step too far even for him.

 

[hendrix]

Yeah but with England always needing to push the run rate to get the target maybe it was worthwhile to test them out on the hook as they were bound to go after it. If it didn't work no biggy; pick another plan. But it did so credit to the bowler and captain.

Not only that but the new ball was due.

 

[silentstriker]

Dhoni is crazy unorthodox at times but "all over the pitch with a liberal sprinkling of no-balls" as a tactic seems a step too far even for him.

It works to confuse the batsmen.


They aren't sure whether to hit a four or a six.

 

[Jono]

Both sides of the debate about Ishant's spell have merit, but are going over the top. Firstly, and importantly, you can bowl well and also get wickets through serious batsman error. If you don't think a lot of the wickets Mitch got in the Ashes were due to just piss poor batting as much as his speed and accuracy then you're kidding yourself. Trott, Broad and at times Cook were just bad.

Same goes with all of Ishant's wickets except Stokes. Bell and Cook is very good bowling. Sure Bell and Cook didn't play it well but that happens.

Ali was just genuinely awesome bowling. You can say Ali played it poorly, but that was an over of threatening short stuff (well 4 of the 6 were). And make no mistake the balls he bowled to Root played a part in (a) Root wanting to get the **** off strike and bring Ali on, and (b) Ali ****ting himself when Ishant directed it at him.

The first ball Ishant got around the wicket to Prior he got the wicket. Literally the first time either he (or Dhoni) got the angle right Prior went.

Root felt the pressure of everyone else going, and wanted to show that he could score with the tactic.

Stokes was just pure dumbarse. Don't think even Ishant will credit himself with that one.

I don't really get why a good short ball hit to deep square leg is batsman error but a good ball just outside off stump with a batsman prodding while defending is so heavily praised. They both have batsman error, one just looks worse.

 

[Burgey]

I don't understand why Ali didn't let it hit him tbh. But, much as it pains my rectum to say it, Jono is right. It was a well executed plan which took England by surprise. You can't just look at the ball which gets a bloke out in isolation.

So many shots look bad on highlights, but you don't see a bloke getting worked over/ shut down etc. Sharma deserves credit.

England is shot. It'll be a miracle if they level, let alone win this series. They're beginning to approach 90s levels of lol.

 

[Flem274*]

Yeah I was overreacting because it was Blocky posting. I'll put my hand up on that one.

Ishant bowled well and bowled to a plan. Test batsmen shouldn't be getting out in that fashion but he and Dhoni were able to induce some panic because England have no confidence at the crease. Ishant was no Johnson and other teams probably would have emerged unruffled but it was good exploitation of England's gun shy batting.

Once Ali got out so horribly Ishant did well to keep putting the ball in the right area to let England beat themselves. Excellent captaincy from Dhoni.

 

[Flametree]

The thing that amazed me about the tactic was the lack of variety. There wasn't a single yorker bowled in the whole spell. As Shami was bowling his first ball to Prior in the over after lunch I thought "inswinging yorker will probably do the job here", but instead he served up a wide long hop. England struggled against short stuff in Australia, but as well as facing something considerably quicker there, they couldn't just hang back and play for a bouncer as then they'd be in no shape to defend one that could bowl them, and Johnson was constantly threatening the stumps. With Ishant's spell the batsmen might as well have taken a step back towards third slip with their bat above their shoulders before he got to the crease - they might then have been able to keep the shots down...

 

[Blocky]

Yeah I was overreacting because it was Blocky posting. I'll put my hand up on that one.

Ishant bowled well and bowled to a plan. Test batsmen shouldn't be getting out in that fashion but he and Dhoni were able to induce some panic because England have no confidence at the crease. Ishant was no Johnson and other teams probably would have emerged unruffled but it was good exploitation of England's gun shy batting.

Once Ali got out so horribly Ishant did well to keep putting the ball in the right area to let England beat themselves. Excellent captaincy from Dhoni.

Thing is, test batsmen have been getting out to bounce and pace ever since the bouncer was first bowled. It's a wicket taking delivery, probably has a higher frequency of taking wickets than yorkers do.

 

[smash84]

Thing is, test batsmen have been getting out to bounce and pace ever since the bouncer was first bowled. It's a wicket taking delivery, probably has a higher frequency of taking wickets than yorkers do.

I think the yorker is a very underbowled delivery in tests. On flat pitches (which are to be found in plenty) it is probably a better wicket taking delivery than the bouncer.

 

[Blocky]

I think the yorker is a very underbowled delivery in tests. On flat pitches (which are to be found in plenty) it is probably a better wicket taking delivery than the bouncer.

You either need late movement or pace to make it a threatening option against most quality batsman these days. In earlier eras you'd find yorkers were far more effective because batsmen didn't get straight onto the front hoof as soon as they could because they were worried about copping it in the teeth.

You look at some of the greatest bats of the last era, GIlchrist comes to mind as a guy that just couldn't deal with a tall quick banging it in short of a length at him on a pitch with variable bounce. The thing I've always liked about Ishant is he does generate quite a bit of energy through the ball which is perfect for conditions like you find in NZ and England, it's why I felt he'd perform during this series. The thing I don't like about him is that he doesn't have the accuracy nor planning skills that a bowler of his experience should have, but if Dhoni is willing to step up and manage him more, then I don't see any reason the guy can't go from his horrible average and bring it down towards 30. He's only 25.

I think his potential is higher than Shami or Bhuv - yes, I know he's had a tonne of chances to show that potential, but I'd be really interested to see his results if you got him in with a good bowling coach who also emphasised the planning and strategy, if India could get McGrath to do some sessions with him, I think that would be ideal.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

You either need late movement or pace to make it a threatening option against most quality batsman these days. In earlier eras you'd find yorkers were far more effective because batsmen didn't get straight onto the front hoof as soon as they could because they were worried about copping it in the teeth.

You look at some of the greatest bats of the last era, GIlchrist comes to mind as a guy that just couldn't deal with a tall quick banging it in short of a length at him on a pitch with variable bounce. The thing I've always liked about Ishant is he does generate quite a bit of energy through the ball which is perfect for conditions like you find in NZ and England, it's why I felt he'd perform during this series. The thing I don't like about him is that he doesn't have the accuracy nor planning skills that a bowler of his experience should have, but if Dhoni is willing to step up and manage him more, then I don't see any reason the guy can't go from his horrible average and bring it down towards 30. He's only 25.

I think his potential is higher than Shami or Bhuv - yes, I know he's had a tonne of chances to show that potential, but I'd be really interested to see his results if you got him in with a good bowling coach who also emphasised the planning and strategy, if India could get McGrath to do some sessions with him, I think that would be ideal.

Kind of like the sessions Sodhi spent with Warne?

 

[Viscount Tom]

Ishant could really benefit in the long term from a county county season I feel or heck maybe some grade cricket down under because I still don't think he's going to be producing spells like the one on the fourth evening all that consistently at present.

 

[harsh.ag]

All he needs is somebody with a strong voice drilling Sun Tzu lessons in his head before every spell.

 

[Blocky]

Kind of like the sessions Sodhi spent with Warne?

Only Ishant actually has the same physical tools that McGrath had... unlike Sodhi who has no accuracy, gets hardly any dip and swerve and is absolute rubbish at all forms of the game, including club cricket.