Ishant falls flat in first outing since layoff
CHENNAI: In the build-up to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ishant Sharma had said the T20 format was easier compared to ODIs. The reality was otherwise.
Playing in his first match after being sidelined with a knee injury prior to the World Cup, Ishant showed little bite in the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s league match against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.
Ishant conceded 46 runs in three overs, returning without a wicket. The lanky pacer conceded as many as four no balls, and at one point, whenever he took the ball, the crowd at the MA Chidambram Stadium started chanting “we want a no ball”.
CSK’s Brendon McCullum, who scored a ton, was particularly rough with the India pacer. In one over, Ishant ended up conceding 23 runs. He had an economy rate of 15.33, the highest for the Sunrisers.
Ishant has had a problem with the front-foot no-ball. In India’s Test series Down Under, Ishant conceded nearly 30 no-balls in the three Tests he played.
Accuracy too was an issue. Yorkers went awry and the short deliveries did not have any pace. He bowled four full tosses in the game, as the yorkers failed to find the mark. To further expose his rustiness, Ishant also fell over once in his run-up, signalling that all was not well.
Ishant has not had a great season. He picked up just nine wickets in the Test series against Australia before being sidelined.
On Friday, Sunrisers coach Tom Moody showed confidence in the pacer, stating that the bowler had performed well in the practice games. On match day though, the same performance did not present itself.
Ishant’s injury before the World Cup had come as a major blow. The most experienced India pacer, with 61 Tests and 71 ODIs, Ishant was expected to lead the way. In his absence, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami rose to the occasion to deliver for India.
After recovering from injury, the IPL was regarded as the comeback vehicle for Ishant into the India side. However, if his first outing is anything to go by, he still has to make long strides.