Don’t mess with Ishant: Renshaw learns the hard way
You don’t want to mess with Ishant Sharma even though he had gone wicketless in the first innings. Matt Renshaw realised that by losing his wicket in a highly momentous and thrilling 29th over, with just less than 30 minutes to go for lunch in the third India vs Australia Test.
Renshaw had pulled out just when Ishant was shaping to bowl his first delivery of the 29th over since someone had run across the sight screen. In frustration, Ishant threw the ball wide of Renshaw towards wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. The umpire immediately went up to talk to him and that should have been the end of the story.
It started getting complicated once non-striker Steve Smith chirped too, igniting a few heated words from Ishant as he went past him. Smith smiled and shrugged off Ishant’s reply even as umpire Ian Gould tried to calm both sides after Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay ran in from both sides to understand what had happened. Renshaw wasn’t quiet as well, mouthing a few words at Ishant before he was softened up by an attempted short ball that hit his thigh pad to get lodged inside his helmet. Fired up, Ishant brought in a batpad before bowling another short delivery that wasn’t aimed well. It was a super tactic though. By bringing a close-in fielder around his ribs, Ishant made Renshaw think he would be the target of a few bouncers now.
Instead, Ishant bowled at him full and just outside off. The delivery stayed low but moved in enough to trap Renshaw plumb, setting off wild celebrations.