It started with the World Cup. Not picking Ishant Sharma has turned out to be a masterstroke in hindsight. Having burst into the international scene as a whiff of fresh air in 2007-8, nailing some of the best in the business, including Ricky Ponting, Sharma had lost the plot in 2009 and 2010. The pace was down to the 120s, he lacked the confidence and wicket-taking deliveries had deserted him.
The mauling in the hands of Hashim Amla and A B De Villiers in the first Test in South Africa in December 2010 was proof that Ishant needed time away from the game. He needed to make mental adjustments integral to high pressure sport and come back strong. This was the real challenge confronting Sharma. He wasn?t a rookie anymore, there was enough pressure on him and opponents had studied his strengths and had plans in place to negotiate him. To add to his pressures Munaf Patel was bowling well and had almost cemented his place as the first choice partner to Zaheer Khan.
Fortunately for India, Sharma behaved like the true fast bowler. He went back to the nets and came back fresh and strong. His second five-wicket haul took a long three years in coming. But the gap between the second and the third has been less than a week. Ishant Sharma, the West Indies series is proof, is back in business and is expected to give the Indian pace attack in England the much needed extra venom.
Sharma always had the ability to bowl long spells. In fact it was in the ninth over of his spell at Perth in 2008 that he got Ricky Ponting, a wicket that contributed much to an unlikely Indian victory Down Under. To this he has now added the rare ability to swing the ball both ways, something the West Indian batsman have found to their peril all through the series.
Seeing Sharma bowl in this series in the Caribbean has been a pleasure. His determination, more than anything else, is the stand out feature, borne out best in the manner in which he dismissed Darren Bravo in Dominica. The West Indies had launched a scathing counter attack in the post-lunch session on the second day and Bravo and Baugh had added 50 between them in just six overs. Edges flew to all parts of the ground and Sharma had conceded 25 in a little more than two overs. That?s when he induced the edge of Bravo of a full length delivery. Coming round the wicket, he got Bravo playing forward to a ball that left him late and the edge flew to India?s best slip fielder of all time, Rahul Dravid. But just as Sharma was about to celebrate, Dravid indicated that he wasn?t sure if he had caught it clean. Several replays followed and while the front on view indicated that Dravid did catch the ball before it had touched the ground, replays from the back indicated otherwise.
Without conclusive evidence the third umpire declared Bravo not out. Had it been the Sharma of 2010, he may well have lost rhythm. This time round it was different. The very next ball was another away singer, just a tad wide and Bravo shouldered arms hesitantly. The follow-up ball was a gem. Bowled with pace, it came in with the arm inducing the edge, which was picked up by Dhoni moving to his right. Sharma had his man and India a much needed breakthrough. He then went on to polish the tail and finished off with his third five for, figures that almost assured India of a series win.
Twenty plus wickets in a three-Test series, the pace gun touching 87-88 miles with regularity and the ability to extract steep bounce from a good length, Sharma is back to his best. And with Zaheer Khan back to mentor him in England it can be suggested that India goes to England with the best seam-bowling attack it has ever had. With Khan at his best and Sharma back in form, India has every potential to defend their number one Test ranking in England come July 21. If only Virender Sehwag had been there from the very first Test itself!
The writer is a sports historian