Ishant carries forward form of 2014
BIRMINGHAM:FOUR years ago, Ishant Sharma provided India’s bowling highlight. As skipper MS Dhoni goaded him to bowl a long spell, he peppered England batsmen with short-pitched bowling to deliver a sensational victory at Lord’s.
On Friday, it was a different version. Mellowed and showing his fresh sartorial sense with hair cropped short, Ishant teased out each of his five wickets in England’s second innings with pitched-up deliveries that swung or seamed. He had each of his victims caught behind or in the cordon, showing great discipline from a bowler whose worth is appreciated by his skipper and team management but his inconsistencies have also left many others frustrated.
Coming into the series, Ishant was seen as the mentor to a strong and versatile pace attack. More importantly, Ishant had critical inputs on how to succeed at Edgbaston, a ground where India have lost five of their six Tests. He played for Sussex in county cricket at the start of the summer and kicked off his useful stint by claiming a five-wicket haul vs Warwickshire.
Ishant’s match haul of 6/97 apart, he has stood out with his fitness and the way he has steamed in to the crease.
ASHWIN SHINES
With a match haul of 7/121 — his best effort outside the sub-continent — R Ashwin has made a huge statement.
He has spoken about how playing for Worcestershire has helped him work out the length and speeds.
The bowler, who had been questioned for his modest overseas record, made a huge statement by removing Alastair Cook twice – both bowled with nicely floated off-breaks.
Of his seven wickets, five were of left-handers. Ashwin has an average of 19.39 versus left-handers while the numbers rises to 31.39 versus right-handers. For the Edgbaston Test though, England playing seven lefthanders meant the off-spinner had to be a match-winner. And he proved decisive in both innings.