“I’m enjoying my cricket right now and I have nothing to lose”: Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma has had an excellent IPL this year. He made a comeback in the second half of the season. The Indian veteran bowled a match winning over against Gujarat to defend a very low total. The one delivery which stood out was the ball he bowled to Vijay Shankar. He bowled a knuckle ball to dismiss the in form Shankar who was clueless. 

Ishant Sharma on the DC Podcast

Ishant has added a number of new techniques to his arsenal as he has adapted to the rules of the game over time. He had everyone in awe with his knuckle ball this season. He recently discussed how Jasprit Bumrah’s guidance from 2018 helped him refine his delivery.

“I asked Jasprit Bumrah what he thought about my bowling in T20s during the Melbourne Test in 2018. He told me that I have a brilliant length, but I need to develop a slow seam delivery, which would deceive a batter. So thereafter, I worked on delivering the knuckleball,” said Ishant in the DC podcast.

When asked about his time away from the game in 2022 after failing to find a team at the IPL auction, Sharma responded that his love and enthusiasm for the game motivated him to work hard in the gym.

“I’m enjoying my cricket right now. I have not set any expectations for myself and I have nothing to lose. When I went unsold last year, my wife asked me to remind myself why I started playing cricket. Then, my love and passion for the game drove me to train really hard. I have also worked with a fast bowling coach and we spoke about the aspects I can improve on,” Sharma added.

At the mini-auction held in December 2022, Delhi Capitals purchased Ishant Sharma for INR 50 Lakh. Despite putting up a strong performance with the ball, the Delhi-born seamer couldn’t turn around his team’s dismal season as they currently sit bottom (tenth) in the standings with 10 points from 13 games. 

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