Top 5 bowling performances by Ishant Sharma in international cricket

Ishant Sharma

The tallest pacer in the current Indian setup turns 25 today.

The lanky Ishant Sharma, known to his friends and teammates as Lambu, has struggled with both injuries and loss of form in recent times. Each time he delivers a fine spell, he goes for long periods without success.

It is a far cry from 2008, when the then 19-year old troubled former Australian captain Ricky Ponting at the WACA Test in Perth, so much so that the batsman was simply unable to take control of the proceedings, as he did many times in his illustrious career.

Ishant eventually took his wicket, and in the return series in India, dismissed him three times, causing the press to label Ponting as “Ishant’s bunny”.

After surgery on his ankle and some time spent in the five-day format of the game, Ishant returned to active ODI duty during the Champions Trophy and the subsequent tri-series in the West Indies. He performed well in both tournaments, and looks to have regained some of his old form back.

Here is a list of his top five international bowling performances:

Special mention: 3/94 vs Australia (3rd Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2008)

With Australia comfortably placed in their second innings, chasing 413 for the win, India were running out of options.

Left-arm pacer RP Singh had started warming-up in anticipation of being allowed a bowl, but a quick conference between captain Anil Kumble, opener Virender Sehwag and Ishant prompted the champion spinner to give the Delhi lad one more over.

Ishant had been troubling the Aussie skipper for one complete hour – and his line was simply spot-on. The veteran batsman looked very edgy and nervous, but had managed to keep his wicket intact, if only just.

The way the inexperienced cricketer had Ponting shuffling about in the crease spoke volumes of his abilities – the Tasmanian stroke-player was completely baffled.

And when Kumble tossed him the ball for another over, Ishant repaid his faith in full – he got his man to push forward to a delivery that pitched around off-stump and rose, holding its line. A confused Ponting poked at it, only to watch Rahul Dravid hold a regulation catch at first slip.

The concentration was broken, the warrior beaten, and the young upstart had brought his team back into the contest – which India eventually won by 73 runs.

The spell remains etched in the minds of Indian cricket lovers five years after a turbulent series concluded with the Men in Blue winning the CB limited-overs tourney in style. It brought the long-haired seamer into prominence, and India finally seemed to have an answer to the pace bowling conundrum.

5. 3/33 vs Sri Lanka (Champions Trophy 2013, 2nd semifinal, Cardiff)

Ishant Sharma

In one of his finest bowling spells, the long-haired pacer kept troubling the Sri Lankan line-up as he exploited the steep bounce and made the ball move off the seam during the second semi-final of the 2013 Champions Trophy at Cardiff.

He began by getting the ball to seam away from the back of a length, inducing left-hander Lahiru Thirimanne into getting a thick edge to Suresh Raina at second slip, who took a fine low catch to his right.

Then, Ishant took out Kumar Sangakkara with a similar delivery – once again it was Raina who pouched the chance at second slip.

Finally, Ishant finished his spell with a short delivery that Thisara Perera attempted to hoist into the mid-wicket stands, but he only ended up skying a catch to Shikhar Dhawan.

For a bowler who is known to struggle against left-handers, his all three wickets were southpaws. His fine spell paved the way for India’s win and entry into the final, and also fetched him the Player of the Match award.

4. 4/38 vs Australia (4th ODI, Commonwealth Bank Series 2007-08, Melbourne)

Ishant Sharma

With conditions helpful for fast bowling, the 19-year old Ishant led the attack superbly as he snared four key Australian wickets to restrict them to a low total at the MCG in the fourth game of the CB series.

The abrasive and aggressive Matthew Hayden, who had earlier got away with a couple of lucky slashes that ended up in the third-man fence, was deceived by Sharma’s swing and edged the ball to skipper Dhoni behind the stumps.

The Delhi seamer struck again when he surprised Ponting with some extra bounce, forcing him to fend the rising delivery straight into the hands of Sachin Tendulkar at second slip.

Andrew Symonds, who was at the centre of the storm during the second Test at Sydney, was Ishant’s third victim, nicking a sharply-rising delivery outside off-stump to Dhoni, before the pacer dismissed Stuart Clark for a duck to finish with figures of 4/38.

Rohit Sharma and Dhoni then combined well to take India to victory, and Ishant was once again declared the Player of the Match.

3. 7/58 vs New Zealand (3rd Test, Nagpur, 2010)

Ishant Sharma

Ishant’s spirited performance in the third and final Test of New Zealand’s India tour at Nagpur enabled his side to win the series in grand style after the first two games ended in draws.

In the first innings, the tall fast bowler bagged four wickets as he broke the back of the line-up with his ability to move the ball both ways, using the extra bounce on offer.

He trapped Ross Taylor LBW with one that jagged back into the right-hander after pitching outside off. Next, he deceived skipper Daniel Vettori into a needless pull-shot after sending down an innocuous short and wide delivery outside off; the batsman got a bottom-edge that crashed into his stumps.

He then snared the big wicket of the dangerous Brendon McCullum, forcing the batsman to play off the back foot and getting a thin edge through to Dhoni behind the stumps.

Ishant then wrapped up his spell with a delivery that crashed into Andy McKay’s stumps, thus returning with figures of 4/43 as the Black Caps fell to 193 all out.

After India posted a massive 566, Ishant returned with a vengeance in the second essay; he bowled Kane Williamson first up, took a catch to send back Ryder off Suresh Raina, and then castled both McKay and Chris Martin to subject the Kiwis to a massive innings defeat by 198 runs.

He finished with match figures of 7/58, as India won the series 1-0.

2. 7/117 vs Australia (1st Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bangalore, 2008)

Ishant Sharma

After commanding centuries from Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Australia looked to be in a strong position, but Ishant and senior paceman Zaheer Khan hit back with devastating spells of reverse swing, as both shared nine wickets between them during the first Test of the 2008 Border-Gavaskar trophy at Bangalore.

Using reverse swing to his advantage, Ishant dismissed opener Simon Katich after his 166-run stand with Ponting, having the batsman edge one to Dhoni.

He then castled Shane Watson and induced Haddin into skying a catch to VVS Laxman, before deceiving Cameron White with a slower delivery that the Victorian spooned to Harbhajan Singh at extra cover. Sharma thus finished with 4/77 as Australia were all out for 430.

India replied with 360, with Zaheer finishing unbeaten on 57, as the Aussies took a 70-run lead. Ishant pegged back the visitors with 3/40 in the second innings, taking the wickets of Ponting, Clarke and Watson, and completed a seven-wicket haul in the game. India made 177/4 as bad light stopped play on the last day, ending the Test in a draw.

1. 10/108 vs West Indies (2nd Test, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, 2011)

Ishant Sharma

This was Ishant’s greatest ever bowling performance, coming at a time when most senior players were rested, including left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, after winning the ODI World Cup and the gruelling Indian Premier League.

After winning the first Test by 63 runs (with Sharma taking six wickets in the match), the teams proceeded to Bridgetown for the second game, where the Caribbean side bowled out the visitors for 201 in their first innings – with VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina the only two half-century makers. And what followed can only be described as carnage.

Ishant started the slide by first removing Adrian Barath after the batsman guided a short-of-length delivery to Virat Kohli at gully. He then shortened the length outside off, forcing Devendra Bishoo to play at the ball with an angled bat, and Kohli snapped up the chance at second gully.

Sharma then struck a body blow to the home side by trapping Ramnaresh Sarwan plumb in front of the wicket with a full delivery angling in around middle and off. A length ball angling into Darren Sammy trapped the all-rounder LBW – with replays showing it to be hitting the leg-stump.

With this, Ishant reached the landmark of 100 Test wickets as Sammy departed with his side reeling at 186/8. He wrapped up the innings by dismissing pacers Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards to finish with 6/55, as India earned a slender 11-run lead.

Edwards’s fiery five-wicket haul kept India to 269/6 courtesy half-centuries from the veteran pair of Dravid and Laxman.

Needing 281 to win the match, West Indies were rocked by Sharma’s spell, as he removed Lendl Simmons for 14, followed by the wicket of Barath for the second time in the game. He then trapped Marlon Samuels and Sammy LBW to complete a four-wicket haul, as Darren Bravo and wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh denied the Indians victory and a 2-0 lead.

Nevertheless, Sharma’s inspired ten-wicket haul fetched him the Player of the Match award and he troubled the West Indian batsmen right throughout the series, adding another six wickets in the last game to finish with 22 for the series – thus winning the Player of the Series award as well. Magnificent stuff!