Birmingham: Back in the reckoning after registering his eighth five-wicket haul, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma said his impressive county stint with Sussex gave him the much-needed confidence and experience ahead of the current tour of England.
“Playing county cricket has helped me a lot. I was disappointed a bit (on missing out IPL) but I figured whatever happens it’s for your good. It was a good experience and I enjoyed it a lot. I played for Sussex and bowling with Duke’s ball was good,” Ishant told reporters at the post day’s press conference Friday.
Ishant played four matches for Sussex in the County Championship Division Two earlier this year, scalping an impressive 15 wickets and even scoring a half-century. Ishant (5/51) registered his second five-wicket haul on English soil Friday to help India bowl out the hosts for 180 in the second innings.
“The good thing was I had overs behind me. I played four matches for Sussex, and a few One-Day matches too, but I bowled nearly 250 overs in that. It feels nice to represent your country, come abroad and take five wickets in an innings, especially the second one. I bowl hard but my wickets’ column doesn’t (always) become bigger. It feels nice to work hard as a bowler,” Ishant added.
Asked about the ploy, Ishant said it was a pre-meditated plan. “In the first innings, we wanted to take the ball away from the left-handers. I started over the stumps but when the ball started to do things I came around. Bowling coach told me to come around the stumps straightway. It becomes a difficult angle for the batsmen. When I start to swing the ball, it becomes very difficult for the left-handers,” he said.
For most of his career, Ishant has been labelled as a ‘defensive bowler’, but the experienced campaigner begs to differ. “I don’t know where the label (of being a defensive bowler) came from. I try to bowl depending on the situation. I just go with my gut feel and situation of the game,” he said.
