The gangling 19-year old, just into his fourth Test, grabbed eyeballs for his nine-over spell this morning from the Lillee-Marsh stand end. He dismantled Ricky Ponting’s technique.

It was an entertaining contest within the victory euphoria. And it was satisfying for the Delhi seamer, especially because Ponting is Ishant’s favourite batsman in international cricket.

“Yes, Ponting has been my favourite batsman from when I was a kid, and I have always enjoyed watching him. To bowl to him and beat him time and again here gives you a nice high. It gives you the confidence to bowl well. It’s satisfying to get him out. And get him in both innings? Well, that’s wonderful. It’s a bigger high when you also contribute towards the team’s progress. I have just nine wickets, but that dismissal I enjoyed most. Seems that dinner with Bhajji bhai worked,” he laughs loudly.

But Ishant could have missed out on Ponting this innings, had Virender Sehwag not ‘fought’, so to say, with Anil Kumble to keep Ishant for one more over, having RP on hold. The Indian skipper admits he almost made that mistake before he gave into Sehwag’s words. “Ishant had already bowled a long spell of seven overs and I was replacing him with RP, but Sehwag came to me and said that he’s used to bowling 11 overs and more for Delhi. So keep him on. Viru has seen him more than I have, so I kept him on and he gave me the wicket,” says Kumble with a big smile.

Ishant chips in: “Viru bhaiiya told Kumble ‘yeh daalega’ and that I have bowled long spells even in hotter conditions. Kumble looked at me, and I was only too happy to tell him, ‘haan mein karoonga’. I got Ponting out in that over’s first delivery.”

A barrage of balls had been cutting in, cramping Ponting for space. And in the first delivery of his eighth over Ishant made the ball hold its line. The batsman assumed it would come in again, and fished at it. But the delivery gained some height after pitching, and squared up, Ponting being caught off a thin edge that ensued.

Ishant’s ability to deliver long spells despite his fragile frame is nothing new for his teammates in Delhi. One recalls a 44.5 degrees Celsius afternoon in Vijayawada against Andhra last season, when Ishant had bowled a marathon 15-4-22-1 spell from one end to keep Shahbuddin at bay, denying Andhra a win.

He’s still to get out of high school, not being able to give his board exams due to his cricket commitments, but he isn’t complaining. He is learning some vital cricketing lessons from the seniors in his team. “I was a bit disappointed after Sydney... I mean it’s depressing not to get a wicket after you bowl well. I knew I had Andrew Symonds but he’s not counted as my wicket. But everybody came to me, spoke to me, especially seniors Viru bhai, Sachin bhai, Rahul bhai, Anil bhai, the entire coaching staff, and they all lifted my spirits,” he admits.

Today, it was Ishant who lifted everybody’s spirits with that sensational spell versus Ponting.