Every time Ishant Sharma has a bad test match, there are voices suggesting that the pacer has already played his last test match.
A rare feat
For a pace bowler to have played over 100 test matches and picked up more than 300 test wickets, it is unpleasant to start demanding his sacking from the side as soon as Ishant Sharma is off colour in one test match.
However, such has been the competition between the pace bowlers over the last couple of years that even a slight dip in his performance leads the fans to think on those lines.
Pressure mounting on the veteran
At the same time, India are spoilt for choice with the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan raring to go and waiting for their opportunity.
Mohammed Shami and JaspritBumrah remain the leading pace bowlers for India in test cricket but when it comes to the 3rd pace bowling spot, it is still up in the air.
It appears that Mohammed Siraj has now overtaken Ishant Sharma as India's third pace bowler but it would be harsh on Ishant Sharma to not get more opportunities before finally taking a call on his career.
Give him more time
Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra also has a similar view on the subject.
“It will be too harsh on Ishant Sharma if we judge and discuss his place in the side after just one Test match. Somebody asked me yesterday, was Headingley Test Ishant Sharma’s last? I was very surprised that somebody even asked me that question. You can’t judge someone like an Ishant Sharma on one game performance. Yes, we have good four-five bowlers and there is a competition there but you don’t want to see a different bowler in every Test match.”
“Ishant is someone who bowls a no-ball here and there, and so do JaspritBumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Yes, according to me, Ishant Sharma wasn’t looking in the best of the rhythms. We lost that test match so we are discussing that more. Ishant’s rhythm was not the reason we lost it. But don’t forget he missed the first game because of a niggle. In the second, it took him a while but because of experience of playing more than 100 Tests, he got back to his groove quickly and had a good Lord’s Test.”
