After a roller-coaster experience in the limited-overs series, India gear up for the four-match Test series against Australia which starts from December 17 in Adelaide. The tourists will look to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against a strong Australian line-up for which the team selection will be a crucial aspect in every game.
Apart from finding out the suitable batting combinations, the management needs to find out a pacer in the squad who can step into the shoes of Ishant Sharma, who was ruled out of the Test series due to a side strain.
Ishant had played a vital role in the previous Test series Down Under. Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the senior pacer will be hugely missed.
“India will miss Ishant Sharma very, very badly because he was the third support bowler. He ensured that the pressure wasn’t off. In many ways Mohammed Shami and Bumrah are your seam bowlers and you needed somebody to just keep that line outside the off-stump, be economical keep the pressure on,” said Manjrekar on Sony Network.
Manjrekar pointed out that Ishant was able to bowl with his wrist behind the ball in the last few years. That’s what he struggled for in the initial part of his career. The cricketer-turned-commentator also said that how finding his wrist-position changed Ishant’s bowling thereafter.
“We had Hardik Pandya in the ODI or the T20 series, he found the right bat. We had Steve Smith saying that he found his hands in the ODI series. About three-four years back Ishant Sharma found his wrists and since then his life has changed,” said Manjrekar.
“He has continued to bowl relentlessly outside off-stump but something is happening now after the ball pitches and that has got him to bowl a lot fuller. We have seen five-wickets hauls as well and not just economy from Ishant Sharma,” he added. ( HT )
