Chennai: Ishant Sharma’s work ethic has been exemplary over the last 14 years according to teammate Ravichandran Ashwin. The off-spinner wishes to see Ishant Sharma enter the 400-wicket club. Ashwin feels it will set a benchmark for the emerging fast bowlers of India.
Ishant is the most-capped Test player in this current line-up. He became the third Indian pacer after Kapil Dev (434 wickets) and Zaheer Khan (311) to reach the 300-wicket milestone.
“Look, Ishant has been one of the most hard-working cricketers I have seen in the dressing room. He has worked extremely hard, for more than just one reason. Being that tall (6 ft 4 inch) itself requires a lot of facets to be managed through a career which is spanned out through almost 14 years now,” said Ashwin. He himself, is 15 wickets short of the 400-mark.
Ishant is only two short of 100 Test appearances. He will only be the second pace bowler from India to achieve that coveted landmark. For Ashwin, that itself is a measure of his achievement.
“Ishant went to Australia and got Ricky Ponting out (in 2007-08). Since then he has gone through so many other tours. He had his fair share of injuries. So for a fast bowler to get close to 100 Tests in India is not a joke and it is fantastic achievement,” said Ashwin.
“I can keep going on and keep complimenting Ishant, but I really wish to see him get to 400 and probably 500 wickets. It would be a sort of road map for a lot of Indian quicks going forward,” added the off-spinner.
So what’s it that makes Ishant Sharma special as a person?
“If I have to say something about Ishant, his biggest plus is the smile. He is ever smiling. Even if he is very tired, he is smiling. Today, I jokingly told him that you won’t get a bowl. He (Ishant) said that’s ok because he was really tired. He is a man with a funny streak,” informed Ashwin.
