The previous find
When India had returned from Australia in 2003-04, it was Irfan Pathan who had been the find of the tour. Four wickets in two Tests, and the ability to generate lethal swing, had turned Pathan into an overnight hero. Former Pakistan great Wasim Akram took him under his tutelage, former India captain Kapil Dev had words of advice, Ian Frazer — Greg Chappell’s assistant — was put in charge of him, and Chappell himself decided to become Pathan’s mentor. Back home in Baroda, Pathan’s school-time coach Mehndi Shaikh was chased for quotes.
It turned out to be a time when Indian cricket spent a year blindly celebrating Pathan’s success, and the next year mindlessly lamenting his failure.
The left-arm bowler, after returning from Australia, toured Pakistan, played Australia again and later South Africa at home, toured Bangladesh, then Pakistan at home, toured Zimbabwe, played Sri Lanka at home, toured Pakistan again, followed by England at home — all of this in a span of 25 months. Through the journey, both fitness and form deserted Pathan by the time India toured West Indies in 2006. And swing, his most lethal weapon, went missing too.
Former India bowler and coach at MRF, TA Sekar, remembers those days. “Pathan was a classic example of a bowler who was burdened by too many suggestions, too much cricket and very little self-introspection. It is definitely a lesson for bowlers like Ishant, to look back and learn where their priorities should lie,” says Sekar.
After Pathan’s form nosedived in 2006, the bowler found it surprisingly difficult to make a comeback. He made it to the World Cup but was dropped again, either injury or lack of form plaguing him. It was the T20 championship that eventually restored his career, and even now he does not make it on his bowling alone but because of what his batting adds to his repertoire.
Sekar talks about how Ishant may soon discover that bowlers like Pathan have walked the same path before. “He’ll suddenly find too many things happening, too many claiming credit for his success. He needs to be careful . He needs to be himself, and bowl the way he does. Kapil Dev is the best example and Ishant can learn from the way he went about his career,” says Sekar.

Fitness, the key
That fast bowlers succumb to hectic schedules is no secret. Jason Gillespie, Shane Bond, Ashish Nehra, Lakshmipathy Balaji and, of course, Shoaib Akhtar are examples of people whose careers have suffered due to injuries. Compare them to the likes of Kapil, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock and Courtney Walsh — because these bowlers could stand the test of time, they made it to the list of greats.
“In a long time, we have a bowler now who’s not afraid of bowling short, who has managed to trouble an opponent like Australia with pace more than anything else,” says Kapil. “He should lay a lot of emphasis on fitness. If we look at the kind of cricket played these days, it is very hectic and can take its toll on a bowler, especially a fast bowler. He needs to be wary of that. The team needs to use him judiciously. If he can maintain his fitness levels and preserve his energy, he has a long way to go.”
Ishant has delivered 919 balls in Test cricket so far and many spells have been as demanding as the one in which he took Ponting’s wicket. Considering that Ishant has played teams such as Pakistan and Australia, it is the best possible start for someone learning to play under pressure. But Sekar says: “It is this kind of pressure that will follow him throughout his career. At some point of time, he will feel tired, frustrated at times.”
When Ishant was playing Ranji Trophy, before the India call came, his one constant traveling companion was Delhi’s bowling coach Manoj Prabhakar. The former India swing bowler, reputed to have brought some street-smartness into the business of bowling, often said, “Yeh ladka agar dimaag se bowling karega to star banega. Bahut potential hai” (If this boy uses his brains, he’ll do very well. He has got tremendous potential). When he said “using brains” — Prabhakar explains in retrospect — he meant that “he has to make his body support him if he wants to have a long international career”.
When Ponting said Ishant’s was some of the better bowling he’s faced in Test cricket, it was a proud moment for the bowler. Now it is upto him to keep working hard and for the team’s support staff, and the board, to ensure that the heavy workload of international cricket doesn’t destroy another potential match-winner.