Reason behind Ishant Sharma's new hairstyle revealed

Ishant Sharma’s father thanked the ponytail as now his son won’t be distracted by long hair

Team India’s pacer Ishant Sharma was seen with a new hairstyle, a ‘Samurai’ ponytail, on the first day of the Bengaluru Test. The fast bowler was not a part of the Mohali test, due to a one-match suspension.

A lot of cricketers don new hairstyles following various superstitions. However the 27-year-old bowler’s father has confirmed that his son’s latest hairstyle is not a result of any superstition.

Vinay Sharma told Deccan Chronicle, “Ishant recently got this new look. He is not superstitious but might have been advised by his teammates not to cut his hair and keep a ponytail instead. Today’s youngsters do not consult their parents when it comes to fashion. Whatever it is, he looks better. Also, thanks to the ponytail, his long hair will not fall on his face and distract him while bowling, as was the case earlier.”

His childhood coach Shravan Kumar was not at all surprised with this new hairstyle, he even compared it to Kapil Dev’s ponytail.

Kumar said, “He came to me with the new hairstyle a few days ago and so I was not surprised. Today’s youngsters follow Bollywood stars and Ishant may have felt the ponytail would suit him more. Ishant, however, is not the first Indian cricketer to have a ponytail. Kapil Dev, in the later years of his career, also had one.”

Except a few cricketers like Jason Gillespie, Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee, not many gentlemen of the game have sported a ponytail. In fact such hairstyle also has funny stories related to it. Middlesex captain Mike Gatting had advised English bowler Phill Tufnell to cut his ponytail. To make sure that his advice is followed, Gatting himself took the bowler to a barber shop.

Some cricketers, if not all, have always been fond of fancy hairstyles. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had caught many eyeballs with his Mohawk look. Recently, Virat Kohli has also shared a photo of his new hairstyle which has caught the attention of many.