5 Indian cricketers who made their first impression in Australia

#2 Ishant Sharma - 2008 CB Series

A 19-year-old Ishant Sharma bowling in the 2008 CB Series

Ishant Sharma made his debut as an 18-year-old against South Africa in June 2007 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was an uneventful one for the teenager as he failed to pick up any wicket.

In February 2008, Ishant was called up to the Indian squad to play in the 2008 CB Series in Australia. Playing against top teams like Australia and Sri Lanka would have seemed intimidating for any young bowler. But Ishant did not seem daunted by the opposition as he impressed with his bowling performance in the series.

19-year-old Ishant won the man-of-the-match award in only his third ODI innings as he picked up a matchwinning 4/38 against Australia as the hosts were bowled out for only 159 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In the nine innings that Ishant played in the tournament, he picked up 14 wickets which included another four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval. His bowling average during the innings was an impressive 23.14 and a very good ODI economy rate of 4.68.