Ishant: I learnt to be patient

India pacer Ishant Sharma on Sunday said that after he was ignored for the Lanka series, he has become more patient.

Ishant said, even though it was hard for him to swallow the ignore from the home Test series against Sri Lanka late last year, the experience has taught him to be more patient.

Addressing the media after the opening day's play in the second Test against Bangladesh, Ishant said the selectors were also right in dropping him from the subsequent home ODI series against the Lankans as he did not deserve to be a part of the squad.

"It was a very hard time for me in those days (when he was dropped). I was desperate to play for the country. It was the first time I was experiencing that because for the last three years my career has been only on the up but off late I learnt that I should be patient in life as well as while bowling," said Ishant, who took four Bangladeshi wickets in the first innings.

"I don't think the kind of form I was in at that time I deserved a place in the ODI side (against Sri Lanka). I thank the selectors for that.

"I don't think I have any technical flaw. It (being dropped) is part and parcel of any cricketer's life. You have to face it. It was a challenge. I am happy that I learnt to be patient during the hard times," he added.

Ishant also thanked his Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag for his support during the lean period. Ishant feels the the dashing opener played a part in his comeback bid in the playing XI.
"Moreover, all the senior players helped me a lot when I made my comeback. I want to thank Viru (Sehwag) as I think he had a role to play in my selection in the first Test in Chittagong," he said.

The gangling pacer said that the new bowling coach Eric Simons helped him in gaining back his rhythm.

"I think I have got back my rhythm. It is really good to get the rhythm back at the beginning of the season because a big series against South Africa is coming next month. It is good for me and for the team as we all are looking forward to the series," said the 21-year-old right-arm fast bowler.

"I am working on my bowling with Eric Simons. He tells me about my wrist and my bowling. So far it has been good. Let us see how it goes against South Africa," said Ishant.

Ishant said he was happy that Indian bowlers did a good job by bowling at the right areas.
"It was a good toss to lose as the wicket was damp in the morning with some dew. We bowled at the right areas and we remained patient for the wickets. You need to be patient to get wickets," he said.

"We bowled at the right areas and kept applying pressure on them," he added.

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"Ishant needs to balance workload"

The ongoing India-Sri Lanka Test series is a golden opportunity for Ishant Sharma to regain his form, said Javagal Srinath.

"At the age of 20-21, the more you bowl the better you get. But somewhere down the line one needs to strike a balance," Srinath told reporters.

"And this is where he requires sports science. I feel with time Ishant will also learn the importance of that."

Ishant has not been the same bowler he looked like in Australia last year but Srinath still sounded impressed by the youngster.

"Ishant is playing quite a few Twenty20 and ODIs and on such flat wickets any bowler is bound to go for runs. But he has wonderful potential. He has set very high standards for himself.

"The Test series against Sri Lanka is a great platform for Ishant to hit the line and length. It is a great opportunity to experiment and get back his rhythm," added Srinath.

According to him, the game was evolving and bowlers were getting more and more cornered.

"Cricket is now evolving. With the advent of Twenty20, it is attracting more fans. All forms of the game is a challenge for a player but the bowlers are always in the back foot in ODIs and Twenty20.

"(However), we are reading too much into Ishant. We need to leave him alone and ensure that we are not putting too much pressure on him," he said.

Srinath, meanwhile, welcomed S Sreesanth's return to the Indian team but warned the temperamental pacer to mend his on-field behaviour.

"Sreesanth will be interesting to look out for. His inclusion is a good sign for the team and good for him too," he said.

"He is a good bowler but he should ensure that he keeps his mind right. If he does so it will be a value addition to the Indian bowling department," added Srinath.

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"Ishant is Indian bowling's future"

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is sure that Ishant Sharma is the future of Indian bowling.

The Delhi pacer struggled to get his rhythm in the just-concluded series against Australia.

"Ishant had one or two bad games but that's going to happen in India where you play on flat wickets and fast outfield. It's hard work for the bowlers. He is learning, he is just 20 years old. He will have periods where he will not pick wickets for India, which has happened to everyone," Ganguly said.

"Hopefully, he will learn from it and come back as a better bowler. He has got lots of talent and he is going to be the future of Indian bowling in next seven-eight years," said the KKR captain about Ishant who plays for the team.

About Ishant's performance in the second edition of IPL, Ganguly said, "He was not too happy last time for whatever reasons. I think Ishant can answer it best."
Ganguly said Ishant still remains their main bowler for IPL-III to be held from March 12 to April 25.

"Ishant is still one of KKR's main bowlers, looking at him to deliver for us this year. We will try and create an atmosphere for him where he is comfortable and delivers for us. We should make sure that he blossoms."

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Dhoni all praise for Ishant

Ishant Sharma has come in for praise from skipper MS Dhoni after his impressive performance in the first ODI in Vodadara.

India pacer Ishant Sharma has struggled for form since his fine show in Australia last year.

Dhoni felt the Delhi youngster's performance against Australia in the opening ODI on Sunday was an indication that he was on his way back to form.

"I thought Ishant bowled really well and hit right areas. If he is bowling well his speed automatically goes up. That's when you know he's bowling in right rhythm and is in the right frame of mind," Dhoni remarked after the match.

Ishant returned with figures of 3 for 50 in 10 overs and seemed to hit the deck hard and looked in good rhythm after a couple of overs in his first spell. He was spanked for a few fours in his second spell before settling down again. He accounted for Tim Paine in his first spell and returned in slog overs to dismiss Mike Hussey and Brett Lee.

Dhoni said the gangling fast bowler was a bit low on confidence since it was difficult for the youngster to face failure after tasting success at such a young age.

But, Dhoni also pointed out that Ishant needed support from everyone and that's what his teammates in the Indian squad were doing to help him come out of the rut.

"He's a bit low on confidence and that happens when you are 21 and have always seen success. So it's difficult to deal with failure. When somebody is not doing well, we as friends and teammates want to back him," he said.

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Lack of support behind Sharma's alarming decline

ISHANT SHARMA'S growing pains are the likely reason behind the summary dismissal of Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad, says Australian coach Tim Nielsen.

This time last year, Sharma won the man of the series award as the spearhead of India's 2-0 Test series win over the Australians, his 15 wickets and domination of Ricky Ponting a key factor in the result. But the 21-year-old has since fallen on hard times, losing the rhythm and bite that so troubled Ponting, and leaving the Indian attack without anything like the same level of threat.

His efforts in the recent Champions Trophy, where India failed to reach the semis, were unrecognisable next to those of last year, and Nielsen believed the sackings of Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh reflected grave fears about the development of Sharma and other young players.

''That's may be one of the reasons why they've changed their staff, trying to spark a bit of a change of message or voice to their younger players who might've gone a little off the boil over the last little while,'' Nielsen said.

''Sharma's an example of young players when they do start well there's expectation on them the whole way through, they find it difficult, they become targeted by opposition teams.

''Rather than being the second or third fast bowler in the group, you all of a sudden become the one everyone's very aware of. They haven't had Zaheer Khan playing for them for the last little while through injury, so he's had to take on a leadership mantle. All those things add up to mean more responsibility and more pressure.''

Prasad and Singh had worked with the Indian team on a series-by-series basis since their appointment in 2007 - neither were ever permitted to sign a contract. They were crudely informed of their removal via the Indian media, and there appear no plans to have fresh staff in position by the time the one-day series against Australia begins at Vadodara on Sunday.

''I am deeply disappointed and hurt by the way in which it has been handled, Prasad told the Hindustan Times. ''All I can say, with a clear conscience, was that I gave it my 100 per cent, and I wasn't short on either commitment or effort.

''We must realise that we can't keep winning all the time. We can't keep blaming the bowlers and the fielders for every debacle.

''Cricket is a team game, and it is important to recognise and appreciate that fact.''

Nielsen echoed those words as he reflected on his own support staff.

''From our perspective, one of the things we try to maintain with our staffing and the way we approach it is that we're aiming and wanting to win and preparing as such for every series we play in,'' he said. ''But if things don't go exactly to plan there's no point having huge clean-outs or changing over your personnel either staffing or playing-wise. I feel as though we've got an excellent staff working well together. The young players and the older players are responding really well to them.

''When you have a result like [India] did in the ICC Champions Trophy and then you lose some staff at that time, it always looks like they're the ones who've been made the scapegoats, so it's unfortunate for them and something they'll have to deal with in the next little while.''

Meanwhile, Queensland cruised to a six-wicket victory over South Australia in their one-day at the Gabba last night.

Set 185 to win, the Bulls grabbed a bonus point by reaching the total with 13 overs to spare, thanks mainly to an opening stand of 141 between Chris Hartley and Ryan Broad, who each hit 60. The win was set up by a greenhorn Bulls bowling attack led by debutant Scott Walter, who took 4-34.

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"Ishant is still a strike bowler"

Former spearhead Javagal Srinath said young pacer Ishant Sharma should be the strike bowler for India with Ashish Nehra.

Srinath said in the absence of injured frontline speedster Zaheer Khan, Ishant should be the strike bowler.

Brushing aside concerns that the gangling Delhi pacer was not in his elements, Srinath said, "Ishant is still a strike bowler. Ashish (Nehra) and Ishant should lead as strike bowlers in the absence of Zaheer. Ishant has good attitude and fitness."
"Nehra is a good replacement for Zaheer"

Sharma, who has taken 52 wickets in 18 Tests and 42 wickets in 30 ODIs, has grabbed only five wickts while conceding 210 runs in the last five ODIs that he played in New Zealand and West Indies.

In three Tests this year in New Zealand the 21-year-old bowler claimed eight wickets while giving away 334 runs.

Srinath, who was in Mumbai to conduct a two-day seminar for domestic match referees ahead of the season, also said the other Delhi pacer, 30-year-old Nehra, was a good substitute for Zaheer who is unavailable till the end of the year.

"Nehra is a good replacement for Zaheer," said the Bangalore stalwart who is on the seven-man ICC match referees panel.

Srinath said the absence of injured regular openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir would lead to changes in the top order.

"Gautam and Viru are pivotal. Their absence will bring in lot of changes at the top and somebody should step and face the challenge," he said.

Sehwag is out of action since May following a shoulder injury that needed surgery and is set to make his comeback in the Champions T20 League next month for Delhi Daredevils.

In-form Gambhir, set to partner Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order in Sri Lanka, had to return on Thursday from the island nation after he was found to be unfit because of a groin injury. He has been advised rest for ten days.
Another Delhi player, flamboyant rookie Virat Kohli, has been sent as Gambhir's replacement.

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