Ahmedabad, Feb. 24 (PTI) Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar praised Ishant Sharma on Wednesday before his 100th Test, saying that having many games in the most challenging format of the game is a huge milestone for any cricketer, especially a fast bowler.
After the great Kapil Dev, 32-year-old Ishant is only the second Indian fast bowler to appear in 100 friendly matches.
“Playing 100 Tests is a great milestone for any cricketer, especially a fast bowler. I’ve seen you play since your U-19 days and play by your side on your first Test. Proud of you and yours Service to #TeamIndia, “Tendulkar tweeted.
“Keep serving your best. Congratulations,” added the batsman.
During the first Test against England earlier this month in Chennai, Ishant became the sixth Indian and third pacemaker in the country to take 300 wickets in the Test of cricket and join legendary former captains Kapil and Anil Kumble.
Former Indian Pacer Ashish Nehra spoke about Ishant on the star sports show Cricket Connected and called it a “great success” while analyzing the changes he made in his bowling to become successful.
“Not just any Indian fast bowler, but any fast bowler who plays 100 test matches is a great achievement. When people talk about Ishant Sharma’s length, he’s changed his length, which is very important in test cricket.
“Also, he’s the same old Ishant Sharma, the ball goes right-handed, which is really important to him, bowling around the stump,” said Nehra.
“He used to just throw over the stump, but the ball still didn’t go away well against left-handers, or you can tell if right-handers hit it well.”
Ishant has 11 five-wicket moves and has collected 10 wickets once in a match. The spell of lanky pacemaker on ex-Australian captain Ricky Ponting during his teenage years is still debated in Indian cricket circles.
Taking a closer look at Ishan’s bowling, Nehra said, “For the past 18 to 24 months, even around the stumps, forget about the stumps, the ball goes well with left-handed batsmen.
“This shows that he is thinking about his game and looking for new things. The results are in his favor. It’s a great thing for India!”
Ishant, who made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2007, missed the four-game test series against Australia due to an ancillary exposure and returned for the England challenge.
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