Ishant Sharma Becomes The 2nd Fast Bowler; Overall 11th Indian Cricketer To Play 100 Test Matches

The third Test between India and England at the refurbished stadium of Ahmedabad is a highly-anticipated match for plenty of reasons. Apart from being the Test being a day and night affair, it is also Ishant Sharma’s 100th Test. Ishant Sharma, who made his Test debut in 2007, has been an absolute workhorse for the Indian team ever since. The veteran paceman has become the second Indian fast bowler and the 11th Indian cricketer to feature in 100 Tests.

The Indian team announced Ishant Sharma in the playing eleven for the crucial match. The 32-year old has also become the most improved bowler in the last three years, spearheading the pace attack that has performed incredibly well. The right-arm speedster was instrumental in India’s first Test series victory in Australia in 2018-19. He also bowled well in England and South Africa even though the men in blue could not win there.

As far as the current series is concerned, Ishant has snapped five wickets in two Tests at an outstanding average of 22.20. England won the first Test by 227 runs as the visiting captain Joe Root struck a brilliant double century. But Virat Kohli’s men bounced back to thrash the Englishmen by 317 runs, ending the Chennai leg at 1-1. Hence, the third Test should be a series-defining battle between the two sides.

Ishant Sharma to have Jasprit Bumrah as his new-ball partner in the third Test:

Meanwhile, India carried out a couple of changes for the third Test in Ahmedabad, drafting Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj for Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah respectively. Hence, Bumrah will likely share the new-ball duties with the 100th Test veteran.

England, who won the toss and chose to bat, made four changes to their side. The visitors brought in Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer, and James Anderson for Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Olly Stone, and Moeen Ali.

Also Read: India vs England 2021: I Know Him Well And It Was An Honest Mistake- Moeen Ali Defends Joe Root Over The All-Rounder’s Departure Comments