 IPL auction changes Ishant's life forever
21st Feb 2008 18:06 IST
Agencies
Sharma has so far bowled 34 overs in the ongoing Tri-Series and 101 had preceded in three Tests in less than a month before it, and all the talk of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni about rotation of bowlers clearly does not involve him.
The Delhi youngster's success story would now inspire millions of youngsters to try and convince their parents to let them try their hand at the game for a career.
Son of an air-conditioner seller, Sharma first marked his run-up on a cricket field only four years ago. In terms of staggering success, it does not get better than this.
He comes from a family without any cricketing background and took up the game to gainfully use his free time.
But he has come a long way to bowl the fastest delivery ever by an Indian, 152kmph, on a cricket field.
Asked to name his strengths, Sharma mentions his height, line and length, bounce and the inswinger, which Ponting, for the life of his, cannot figure out.
Even though living out a dream, Sharma has his feet as firmly planted in life as it is on the bowling crease. He is friendly but does not believe in hanging out with friends. He is not a great movie buff either and it seems for the moment, it's all about bowling faster and better.
He is a great fan of McGrath and like the 'Pigeon', Sharma keeps bowling at the 'fourth stump' and his accuracy so far is better than any seen by an Indian pacer for the length of a tour, since Kapil Dev. He just does not drift down on the legside and even the six by Mahela Jayawardene the other day in Adelaide was off a delivery pitched on the off-stump.
So far the success and pressures of international cricket sit lightly on Sharma. He might have fell to Michael Clarke in Sydney for the agonising loss of a Test but the other day in Adelaide, he blocked two balls from Lasith Malinga to leave Dhoni with his last over heroics.
His technique to sway out of line of a bouncing delivery has even come in for praise from Sunil Gavaskar, and the catch at mid-off off Kumara Sangakkara in Canberra last week promised a complete package from this hugely talented youngster. |
