Anil Kumble: Ek aur karega? Ishant Sharma: Haan, karoonga
ON A dry fourth afternoon in Perth, 19-year-old Ishant Sharma had just bowled seven overs on the trot — enough for captain Anil Kumble to give him a break. It was then that Virender Sehwag told Kumble, “Achchi rhythm mein daal raha hai, ek aur over karega. Main jaanta hoon usko, Dilli ke liye daala hai” (He’s bowling in good rhythm, he’ll bowl another over. I know him, he’s bowled a lot for Delhi).
The result: Ponting c Dravid b Ishant. Brought into the attack in the 20th over, Ishant bowled 27 balls to the Aussie skipper, ending that spell with a dismissal that became the talking point of India’s Test series in Australia.
Now that the rabble-rousing tour has finally ended with on-field clashes making as much news as India’s historic win, it is time to focus on what lies ahead for Ishant, the find of the season. To bowl at 150 kmph on your first overseas assignment isn’t expected of every bowler. In fact, no one in history has managed it ever before. Ishant has given this cricket-mad country a lot to talk about. And he has entered the bull-ring where demands on him will only increase. Ishant will soon enter the most difficult phase in the life of a young cricketer — where the ordinary ones lose their way, and the greats remain.
Former India bowler and Delhi selector Vivek Razdan watched Ishant as a 16-year-old. Tall and lanky, the young boy had the action, physique and temperament to play first-class cricket. It was a matter of time, Razdan remembers evaluating as a selector back then, that Ishant would make it to the next level.
Now, Razdan is wondering what Ishant will make out of his success in Australia. At 19 years of age, does he have it in him to understand that self-education will now be as important as bowling itself? “Ishant has to teach himself to know the requirements of his body in order to stay fit. He has to learn to swim through the potential hazards that he’s bound to face,” says Razdan.

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