After a forgettable opening day, where he seemed out of sorts, Sharma bowled a spell with the second new ball to make heads turn.

On an unresponsive pitch, where all the bowlers had struggled and with the late evening conditions not quite conducive for pace bowling, Sharma marked his run-up for the one last time today to make a mark.

During his first over with the shining ball, Sharma made one lift from the good length and Faisal Iqbal was surprised by the sudden life on the pitch. As the ball popped up, Sharma’s Delhi Ranji team senior (Gautam Gambhir), fielding at forward short leg took the catch. The youngster had somehow found energy at the end of a long day to bend his back.

Though his figures of 23-7-88-1 are not the sort that would promise the birth of the country’s next big pace bowler, but his effort gave hope for India’s pace department that is struggling with injury. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who was constantly by Sharma’s side, while fielding at mid-on and was seen having long chats with him, spoke highly about the tall pacer. “Ishant bowled very well today. If he can bowl the way he has in this Test, he can do well in Australia,” said Ganguly. Maybe, the former Indian captain was recalling the last Australian tour when the raw 19-year-old pacer Irfan Pathan proved to be a big asset.

Delhi selector and former Test pacer Vivek Razdan, who keenly watched Sharma all day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, said that even if the young pacer doesn’t get a game Down Under, he should be there in the squad. “He has been to England and has come to know how to bowl with the Dukes ball. Now if he goes to Australia he will get an idea about the conditions there and also learn to bowl with the Kookabura ball. All these things play a big role in the making of a international bowler,” he said.

All through this Test, Sharma has shown that he can bowl long spells and also has the skills to bowl the incoming ones. The problem area has been his line, and that has often meant the wicket-keeper diving to his left.

Razdan explains: “It is understandable that he was excited. He did bowl some great balls, but he has to be consistent. He now has to learn to bowl the away going delivery. In case he does that, he will be more successful,” he says.

The former pacer also pointed to a few areas that Sharma needs to work on. “Look at his non-bowling arm during the run-up. It is protruding out, hampering his running speed. Besides, when he approaches the stumps, his left leg doesn’t go high enough but straightens a bit. And that explains his tendency to over step the crease,” he says giving an explanation of the eight no balls in this game.

The one thing that Razdan feels that Sharma missed during this game was advice from a fellow pacer. “In case there was Zaheer Khan at mid-on, he would have guided him well. A senior pacer speaking to young pacer can make a big difference,” he says.

Many feel that tomorrow’s morning session will be vital for the game. That’s the only time in the day when the pacers can expect some help from the pitch. The kid on the roller-coaster will certainly hope that he is on the upswing early tomorrow.