Even as everyone has spoken about how both Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu have been gifted a fresh lease of life by being named in Indias stand-by list for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales, the one name that has missed all is pacer Ishant Sharma. Just like Pant-Rayudu-Navdeep Saini, Ishant and Axar Patel are also part of the reserves named by the Indian selectors for the showpiece event.
Speaking to IANS, a BCCI functionary said that the fiveplayers have been informed that they are in the stand-by list and they shouldbe ready to take the flight if and when needed. Interestingly, Saini willalready be in England with the team to help the batsmen prepare for thetournament.
“Ishant, Axar, Pant, Rayudu and Saini are aware that theyhave been named stand-by. The board has informed them about this and while fourof them won’t be travelling with the team like Saini, they have been asked tobe ready to jump onto the plane whenever needed.
“We were looking at two batsmen, two pacers and aspinner when we decided to name the stand-by players. As you are aware, thisyear’s format will see every team competing against every other team in thetournament and covering the bases is very important in such long formattournaments,” the functionary explained.
Coming back to Ishant, his has been a journey folklores aremade of. From winning India the final of the Champions Trophy in England in2013 to being left out of even the IPL last season, the Test pace spearhead hashad a tough ride.
However, the fast bowler took it in his stride, went to playcounty cricket and returned a matured bowler. Even in this edition of the IPL,Ishant has shown the ability to bowl a great line and length, not gettingflustered by the batsman’s attempt to hit fifth gear.
The board functionary said that his evolving as a bowlerover the last year is one of the major reasons why the team believes that hecan be the answer if one from the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumarand Mohammed Shami gets injured during the World Cup.
“You cannot buy experience in the market. Moreover,Ishant has matured as a bowler and knows what is required of him. Consideringthe magnanimity of the tournament, it was felt that he could be the best bet tocome in and soak the pressure that comes with playing for the country on thebig stage. He has done it in the past and considering how he has excelled overthe last year, he can do it again,” he said.
Ishant had himself spoken ahead of this year’s IPL how agood show could help him grab the fourth pacer’s spot. “Whoever can dowell in red-ball cricket can do well in any format. That’s the basic of allcricket that we play. All you need to do is back your varieties that you havewith the white ball. If I do well in this format (T20), I am sure I can be thatfourth seamer going into the World Cup,” he had said.
He had also spoken how playing county cricket last seasonwhile the other Indian players were busy in the IPL helped him understand hisgame better.
“I think county has helped me a lot as it was verytiring. Bowling 300 overs in just 16 days, I played four games. But it broughta lot of control to my game. Jason Gillespie (Sussex coach) gave me a lot ofconfidence. He was always supportive and gave me freedom. I was there for just twomonths so no technical changes, but I did work on some things which havehelped,” he had explained.
While the selectors decided to not pick the fourth pacer and went with an additional spinner in Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant has definitely made his presence felt and has bowled his way into the stand-by list, breaking perceptions that he is only a red-ball champion.