Ishant Sharma Credits His County Stint With Sussex For The Sensational Turnaround In His Career

Ishant Sharma has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past 3-4 years of his international career. From ‘Unlucky Ishant’ to ‘Match-winner Ishant’, the ride has been pretty surreal for the lanky fast bowler from Delhi.

Ishant burst on the scene way in 2007 and during the tour of Australia, shot to instant limelight when he bowled that marathon spell to Ricky Ponting at the WACA in Perth. Ishant continued to dismantle the Australian batsmen, leading to him being hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket.

But the next 7-8 years brought more disappointment than joy for Ishant. Since his debut in 2007 to the end of 2016, Ishant managed 212 wickets at an average of 36.47 in 73 Test matches.

That all changed post the start of 2017 when Ishant decided to play county cricket for Sussex. One of the Ishant’s biggest problems was his inability to bowl the fullish length delivery with pace.

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Ishant Sharma opens up on his county stint with Sussex

Ishant found a solution to his problem during his stint with Sussex where Jason Gillespie advised him to target the knee roll of the batsman and hit the deck hard while bowling the fullish length. The Indian fast bowler, during a conversation with Delhi Capitals hailed his stint with Sussex and the work that he did under the supervision of Jason Gillespie for the turnaround in his career.

“People keep saying Ishant 2.0, which it makes it sound like I am a robot! But the phase before 2017 was one when the pressure to perform was a lot. It gave me sleepless nights, and I hardly found any joy in my bowling. My county stint with Sussex was what changed everything. It was a grueling stint for me because I was bowling 22-23 overs in a day, batting as well, and then coming back home to do the chores. It was a tough drill but somehow I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.

He added: “It was kind of a self-realization also. I think I enjoyed a lot more there and I ended up learning a lot about myself — credit also to Jason Gillespie who was my coach there. When I came back to India to play after that, I felt a lot free and focussed only on enjoying the present, which took off a lot of pressure from me. That change in mindset is the reason for me being an improved cricketer today,”

Since then, Ishant has been literally unstoppable. Since the start of 2017, the right-handed bowler has claimed 85 wickets in 24 games at an average of 22.20 which also includes 4 five-wicket hauls.

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