5 best bowling performances by Ishant Sharma

The tall Delhi seamer has often referred himself as a ‘rhythm’ bowler and has a great history of producing match changing spells from unexpected situations. It is no hidden fact that the bowler came into the limelight in 2007/08 tour of Australia where he asked plenty of questions to the reknowned Australian star Ricky Ponting. On his 26th birthday, let us remember his most inspiring and top performances in world cricket.

#6 Special mention: 5/12 - Kochi, 2011

The bowler was considered as the Test specialist these days. But, his effective wicket taking ability was there for everyone to see in past when he registered the outstanding bowling figures in an IPL match against the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Deccan Chargers were defending a low score of 129 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, but ended up victorious by 55 runs when Ishant steamrolled the home side’s top order. After Dale Steyn picked up the wicket of Brendon McCullum in the first over, Ishant’s quality pace bowling saw him snare three wickets in space of 4 deliveries in the second over of the innings. Parthiv Patel, Raiphi Gomez and Brad Hodge had no clue whatsoever against Ishant.

In his next over, he picked up two more wickets including Mahela Jayawardene to end any chances of a fightback from the opposition.

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#5 5/77 - Roseau, 2011

The series opener at Dominica picked up pace as the Indian seamer took the attack to the opposition after Praveen Kumar provided the opening break-through. His short-pitch bowling on a surface that aided strokeplay troubled the West Indian batsmen. Rain interuppted in the second session allowing no further play. He came back to break a crucial partnership between Darren Bravo and Carlton Baugh.

He completed the last rites of the innings with two incisive deliveries to hurt the home side badly. Ishant ended with 5/77 out of the Carribean team’s 204 all out.

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#4 6/134 - Auckland, 2014

In the first match of the 2-match series, New Zealand was on the backfoot straightaway with Ishant’s early blows. His two wickets on the either side of Zaheer Khan’s scalp means New Zealand were reeling at 30/3.

The Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum then built a huge partnership with Corey Anderson and are well placed to bat India out of the game. The pacer then struck Anderson leg-before. However, replays suggested the ball would have evaded the stumps. He sent back the new batsmen BJ Watling to the pavilion, but, McCullum looked solid.

He completed a hard earned five-wicket haul when he ended McCullum’s innings for 224. A six-fer in the innings an opposition scored 503 is not a simple task and the bowler thus gave the Indian supporters something to cheer. In the second innings his three quick wickets at the tail meant NZ were bowled out for 105.

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#3 6/55 - Bridgetown, 2011

The medium-pacer was at his best when he ripped through the heart of the West Indian batting order at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, 2011. India were 1-0 up in the series, courtesy of a team effort at Kingston.

India suffered a setback when they were dismissed for 190 on the very first day of the Test after being inserted to bat. However, the visitors were in no mood to let the Carribean team breathe easy. The right-arm seamer gave India the initiative before coming back to hunt two more wickets on a wet second day morning. The day was lost to rain with only 25.3 overs possible.

The pitch eased out a little on the third way as Marlon Samuels and the lower order were inching towards the Indian total. A determined Ishant picked up his 100th Test wicket (the fifth youngest player) before the rain break and took only three more deliveries to wrap up the innings to secure a slender lead of 11 runs. His 4/53 in the second innigs breifly threatened West Indies in the chase of 281 before bad light stopped play.

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#2 6/51 - Wellington, 2014

India badly needed a good start in the 2nd Test after losing the first match of the series from a position of strength. Ishant, coming in as the first change bowler wrecked havoc as he helped India reduce the Blackcaps to 51/4 by lunch, with him claiming the first three wickets to fall. His first spell read 9-2-14-3. When he came back after lunch, Corey Anderson hammered him for a six and a four in Ishant’s first over of the new spell.

He returned the treatment to the batsman in his next over when he induced an inside edge that lobbed to gully. Soon the Delhi cricketer captured his fifth wicket from a delivery that seamed away after pitching. He added one more to his tally towards the close of the innings to record his then personal best in an innings.

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#1 7/74 - Lords, 2014

India were defending 310 in the final innings against England at the ‘Home of Cricket’ in the second Test of the 5-match series. The memories of 2011 were still fresh and the dull draw at Trent Bridge added more value to the Test that promised a result. Being the senior-most bowler of the side, Ishant rose to the occasion after a couple of poor outings in the warm-up matches. He cleaned up Ian Bell and induced an outside edge from around the wicket from Alastair Cook’s blade with a beautiful outswinger. A back of a length delivery left the bat after pitching leaving Cook in no man’s land.

On the final day, the home side threatened to run away with the game when overnight batsmen Moeen Ali and Joe Root looked at ease in the morning session. The wily seamer produced a perfect bouncer to dismiss Ali off the final ball before Lunch.

That moment of brilliance turned the tables and India spearheaded by Ishant, defied all odds to wrap up the match by 95 runs using a well-executed bouncer strategy. He went on to register India’s best bowling figures in England by claiming 4 more wickets in the afternoon session.

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