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Ishant Sharma Explains Virat Kohli’s Controlled Aggression
By CricShots - May 30, 2020 12:59 pm
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The veteran Indian fast bowler, Ishant Sharma has recalled his ODI debut and revealed an interesting anecdote involving Rahul Dravid. While talking to opener Mayank Agarwal, he also revealed how he got nervous when legendary Rahul Dravid asked the reason for him not practicing ahead of the match. He went on to reveal that he was not picked for the ODI series in Ireland and was called all of a sudden. 

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Ishant Sharma

Ishant reminisced, “I was selected for the England Test series and not the ODI series in Ireland. I was chilling at home and then I got a call that you have that come to play ODIs in Ireland. I was waiting for my luggage and I called my manager. The manager said the luggage will come directly in your room.”

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He further added, “I was standing and then Rahul Dravid asked Ishant why are you not bowling. I nervously said to him that I was waiting for my shoes and that shocked him. I explained to him that I kept my luggage on the flight but hadn’t reached me. Rahul Dravid asked me that how will I play the match tomorrow. I borrowed shoes from Zaheer Khan and played my first ODI match.”

Ishant also talked about his famous reaction against Steve Smith during the Bangalore Test match in 2017. Ishant in a very animated reaction against Steve Smith had left his teammates and fans in splits. Mayank asked about the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli’s reaction over the same incident.

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Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli

The spacer recalled, “He is an aggressive captain, he loves it when you show aggression. He just tells me not to get banned. So, when I was banned in Sri Lanka he came again and said do everything you want but just don’t get banned.”

Ishant Sharma has taken 297 Test wickets for India in the longest format and a fifty against West Indies in Kingston in 2019. In the first innings, he scored 57 runs and was the second-highest run-scorer for India after Hanuma Vihari. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal had scored 13 and 55 runs, respectively. Ishant said he had a fun time with Rahul after smashing his only Test fifty.

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Sharma elaborated, “KL Rahul said if I would have scored 100 then he would have jumped from the balcony. KL scored some 25-26 runs and he said ‘son if you scored more than me I will do this and that for you’. My batting gloves got wet for the 1st time. It was KL Rahul’s gloves and he gave me a pair of new gloves as well. He was like ‘I should have batted with these gloves and then I could also have scored a fifty’.”