http://www.senore.com/Cricket/I-Sharma-c1566 - A potential which remains unfulfilled – Opinion
Genuine fast bowling is something usually not associated with Indian cricket, with only a few speedsters making a mark for themselves since the inception international cricket in the country in 1930s.
A number of budding pacers have emerged through the MRF Pace Foundation since the last decade and a half, and looked threatening for a while. After showing promise for a brief period of time, the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Irfan-Pathan-c1601, Lakshmipathy
Balaji, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MM-Patel-c1987 and many more faced a massive dip in their form and fitness, consequently leaving India with a scarcity of threatening seamers.
One of these names is Ishant Sharma, the right arm fast bowler from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780, who burst into the global scene in 2007, impressing one and all with his ability to bowl fast consistently and extracting bounce from the pitches.
During India’s tour of Australia in 2008, Sharma troubled http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377 at the peak of his career, who is considered to be one of the modern-day greats. Quite unfortunately however, the lanky speedster has so far failed to maintain consistency, both in bowling
and also in fitness.
Earlier this month, the selection committee, headed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 earlier this year and also
missed the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) because of fitness issues.
The 23-year-old cricketer is now fit once again and has immediately enjoyed the selectors’ confidence. Ishant, being one of the fastest bowlers in the country, is normally an automatic pick in the side.
Harsha Bhogle, the famous Indian cricket journalist, is not happy with his selection and has slammed the national selectors.
In his recent article for ESPNcricinfo, Bhogle stated that the lanky fast bowler should have been asked to prove his form and fitness in the domestic cricket, before being recalled to the Test team. The cricket commentator is of the view that Sharma’s
comeback proves that India is desperately struggling in the bowling department.
“He should have been made to prove that he is ready to play; he ought to have done the hard yards, run through a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kumar-Shri-Ranjitsinhji-c71870 Trophy team, and then forced the selectors to look at him,” he wrote.
In the 45 Tests, Sharma has played so far, he has grabbed 133 wickets at an average of 37.87 runs per innings, which is not acceptable for a high quality speedster. His stats are not too different in the game’s shorter formats.
Bhogle expressed that Sharma is now an experienced cricketer, having represented the country for almost five years, but maintains that he has failed to live up to the expectations.
“In terms of experience, with 45 Tests he is now only next to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javagal-Srinath-c66513,” he stated. “The message going out to a young man who is desperately short of fulfilling his undoubted promise is that the team is just waiting for
him to be fit and that they really can't do without him.”
Considering http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s current resources in the fast bowling department, one can easily understand why he has been preferred over some of the other youngsters. No one can deny Ishant’s potential but it is high time that the rookie translates that into performance.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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