Published: Jul 04, 2011, 09:07 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 21, 2014, 07:42 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
A match that would live in the memory of Indian fans is the Australia–India Test at Perth in January 2008. The Anil Kumble-led Indian team stunned the Aussies on the so-called fastest surface in the world. This victory is remembered for the way the Indian team fought back after the controversial Sydney Test. But Perth 2008 is also remembered for a 19-year-old Indian fast bowler who bowled a crucial spell in the fourth innings to dismiss a determined Ricky Ponting.
Australia were going steady at 117 for two with Ponting at 46. Kumble was mulling a change in the bowling when Virender Sehwag walked up to him and convinced him to give the young Ishant another over as he had made Ponting look all at sea. Kumble asked, Ishant “Ek aur karega?” (Will you bowl another over?)” The reply was an enthusiastic, “Haan main karunga. (“Yes I will”)”.
Ishant ran in to bowl the first ball of the over and got Ponting to edge it to first slip for a comfortable catch. Ishant ran around the WACA celebrating his success after a long battle with Ponting. The cricket world watched in awe and said, “He is certainly one for the future.” That spell at Perth got him into the limelight and the shy boy from Delhi was hailed as India’s next pace sensation.
Ishant came into the Indian team in the year 2007 with a lot of promise. He toured England with India Under-19 in 2006 and did decently well. He made his first-class debut for Delhi in the 2006-07 season and was an instant success. In his debut season, he picked up 29 wickets in six games at an impressive average of 20.10. This performance got him into the reckoning for the Indian team which was in South Africa and battling a few injuries. Ishant was to join the Indian team but his selection was cancelled for unknown reasons. He had to wait till May 2007 for his Test debut, which passed uneventfully.
Perth 2008 changed Ishant’s life as he was a bowler reborn. He continued his good work through the summer and played a crucial role in India’s Commonwealth Bank Series Triumph in March 2008. All these efforts got him a hefty sum from the Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL). His performance went from strength to strength in 2008 and early 2009. Somewhere in late 2009 and early 2010 Ishant lost his way a bit in international cricket as he wasn’t able to sustain the magic he showed early on. His pace dropped and the seam movement he showed early on wasn’t very evident. As a result he stopped being a regular in the limited overs set-up but was persisted with in Tests.
His drop in form and pace was bizarre as he didn’t have any bad injuries in that period and it just seemed like he had lost his way a bit. When he clocked 150 kmph in Australia in 2008, people felt he would get stronger and would maintain his pace. However, there came a time when he barely touched 140. It wasn’t just his pace, but even his variations took a hit. Ishant was never a swing bowler, but he mainly relied on seam movement. The subtle movement off the seam formed a lethal combination with his pace but sadly his two main weapons deserted him at the same time.
Ishant’s latest showing in the Caribbean is a great sign for Team India. Zaheer Khan has carried the burden of leading the pace attack for years and on many occasions had to single handedly deliver match winning spells. Ishant was very good in the first Test at Kingston but his spell in the first innings at Barbados proved to his critics that he can still be lethal. These spells have shown that he has regained a bit of pace and has been able to bowl over 140 fairly consistently. What is even more encouraging to see is that his seam movement is back and is causing havoc in the West Indies.
Although Ishant has been in the Test squads, the West Indies tour can be termed as a comeback of sorts for him. This is because his bowling has regained that lost guile. His earlier loss of form was blamed on the IPL but this time around the T20 league should be credited for his comeback. His spell against Kochi was absolutely nerve racking and that increased his confidence to a new level. That pace and movement was visible in the IPL which gave him good exposure to resurrect his international career.
Ishant’s form is a positive sign for Team India. If he maintains this form, then a lot of the pressure would be taken off the shoulders of Zaheer. The left-arm fast-medium bowler is 30 plus, and at this stage should be looking to groom the next leader of the pace attack. Ishant looks the best bet. At a young age, Ishant has seen the good and the bad in international cricket. His 10 for 108 in the second Test at Barbados indicates that he has learned from his mistakes. And that’s wonderful news for Indian cricket.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
