Ishant Sharma shared the name of the person who helped him to solve his problems and he is none other than Jason Gillespie who provided him the solutions that he was searching for the longest time.
“The problem in India is that everybody tells you about the problem but no one tells you the solution. Now knowing the solution is an important aspect,” Ishant told the reporters. “I have realised that may be one or two people worked on the solutions. Problem everyone can tell you but one who is a good coach will tell you about solutions.”
“A lot of people would tell me that I need to increase the pace of my fuller deliveries. No one told me how to do that? It was when I went to play county cricket, Jason Gillespie gave me the solution,” said Ishant. “Gillespie told me that in order to increase pace in fuller deliveries, you don’t just release it but hit the deck so that it should target the knee roll.”
Ishant Sharma also explained how the former Australian pacer changed his training methods to get better results in bowling.
“Like first, I would put cones (on good length spots) during nets. But that’s okay for a youngster, who wants to get his areas right but for someone like me, I need to see where my ball is finishing rather than where it’s pitched. Practice is almost same but outcome is different. Gillespie’s instructions ensured that my fuller delivery is faster now,” he added.
Ishant played a lot of Test matches under the former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. At that time, there were six or seven fast bowlers being rotated but now three or four pacers play in Tests.
“Look during Dhoni’s time, some of us didn’t have that much of experience. Also the fast bowlers would be rotated a lot, that’s also a reason that consistency as a group couldn’t be achieved. If you know that you are a pool of 3-4 fast bowlers (now with Jasprit Bumrah), that increases communication. Earlier, there would be 6 to 7 bowlers, communication wasn’t there,” he shared.
“But when Virat took over, we have all by then gained fair amount of experience and that helped. Now when you play more, stay in that dressing room more, spend more time with team compared to family, discussions are free and frank. And then you start enjoying when you go out there in the middle. That’s a different feeling,” said Sharma who will be the second pacer after Kapil Dev to play 100 Tests.
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Ishant has a changed bowling action now. He bowls in short bursts with increased pace and it has happened after he stopped bowling his stock back of length deliveries.
“From the beginning, I got a tag and people started calling me “workhorse”, “workhorse”. So seniors at that time would tell me that you need to bowl 20 overs and if you even give 60 runs, you will still end up getting three wickets. So that works on your mind that you have to bowl 20 overs. So you bowl back of length deliveries and batsmen start leaving those till they get set and then come back to attack you. And you end up giving away 80 runs,” he expressed.
“No role was given to me but that became a role. Your job is to get batsmen out whenever you can. I was not experienced enough earlier but now I know my job. Haven’t you heard light flickers one final time before it goes off,” he said on a lighter note,” he told.
“I had so much of ups and downs in my career and there hasn’t been a lot of consistency. So you are under a lot of pressure. Since 2010, I used to be under a lot of pressure to perform and lost my sleep over it. So I have stopped thinking. I will give my hundred percent to each delivery and result will take care of itself,” he told.
Because of his strength and longevity, his name is taken alongside the great Kapil Dev or Zaheer Khan. Zaheer also being a guiding force for Ishant Sharma in his career.
“I am not into comparisons with Zak paa or Kapil paaji to be honest. They have performed a lot for the country. As far as I am concerned, I can tell you whatever experience I have gained, I try and pass it onto the juniors. That’s important. So that in coming years, there is another fast bowler who can play for Delhi. That would make me proud,” Ishant concluded.
