It can rather be called as a hidden secret as the lanky Indian pacer Ishant Sharma had spoken to the legendary Kapil Dev on how to come to terms to reality after having a bad day on the field. However, Ishant had his learnings it the hard way. It was during India’s third ODI against Australia during a bilateral series in 2013 at home when Ishant was at the receiving end when the Australian all-rounder smashed him for 30 runs in an overs and made him cry for just not a day but 15 days at least.
In 2013, it was fateful October day for Sharma was in India’s playing in the Mohali ODI. India had leveled the series in the previous game after losing the first match and batting first, they put up 303 for 9 in 50 overs, thanks to a splendid unbeaten 139 from the then skipper MS Dhoni. The hosts then had cornered Australia picking six wickets for 213 with just under nine overs to go.
Years ago, Kapil Dev was leading India in a match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, against arch-rivals Pakistan. The visitors were at a disadvantage and came Saleem Malik, a youngster then, who destroyed the Indian bowlers, including the legend, to slam an unbeaten 72-off 36 balls to win the match for his side.
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History repeated in Mohali and this time, it was Ishant who was at the receiving end. Australia needed 44 runs in the last three overs and Ishant was looted for 30 runs by Faulkner – in the 48th over and the visitors then had a much easier equation of 14 needed off just 12 deliveries. In eight overs, Sharma ended up conceding 63 runs in games and Australia won the match by 4 wickets with three balls to spare.
Such a shocker was this experience for the lanky fast bowler that he cried for a fortnight after the thrashing he got. During a recent interview with the Indian Express, Sharma said, “I didn’t cry for just one day … I cried for 15 days at least. I have always been hard on myself; I am not someone who just pushes things under the carpet. I lost a game for India.”
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Even Ishant’s wife Pratima Singh, who he was seeing then, could not believe the man’s reaction. She explained, “Never ever had I even seen his eyes getting moist. And here he was crying, I can never imagine Ishant crying. I told him point blank, cricket is not everything. Bahut badi zindagi hai. Cricket ko sar pe chadha ke nahin rakha karo (life is long; don’t give over importance to cricket).”
Rajeev Mahajan, a good friend of Ishant, even told him that he hadn’t worked hard and the blunt advice worked well for him, the former was quoted in the same interview. It is said that Sharma did not miss a single training session since then and the improvement is visible in his bowling in Tests, the format he plays more often for India.
