India’s pack leader Ishant Sharma stated that he is ready to do anything for the team after Day two of the ongoing first Test match against New Zealand. The experienced pacer was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he took three wickets to keep India in the contest. New Zealand currently has its wood on the tourists and the Indian batting will need to come up with a big effort.
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Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma hasn’t slept properly in the last couple of days. Sharma has taken barely four hours of sleep in the last two days but he was the one who kept India in the fight. The lanky pacer bowled his heart out and was seen struggling with his fitness.
Ishant was the pick of the Indian bowlers.
On the other hand, Ishant had to travel for 24 hours and arrived in New Zealand just a couple of days before the first Test.
“I am not happy because I have not slept for two days and I was struggling a lot today (with my body). The way I would have liked to bowl, it did not happen. They asked me to play and I played. Anything, for the team,” said India’s senior-most player.
Ishant added he could only manage 40 minutes of sleep before the Test match. Thus, the veteran pacer added that he was not happy as he could give his 100% on the field. Pacer is struggling to recover from jet lag.
“Not that I wasn’t happy with my bowling. I wasn’t happy with my body as I could only sleep for 40 minutes last night and day before the Test match, I slept for three hours,” said Ishant.
“The more you can recover (from jet lag), the better effort you can put in on the ground. There’s no better recovery than a sound sleep. The sounder your sleep is, the better your body will respond on ground,” the lanky fast bowler said.
The chances of Ishant playing the first Test match were hanging by a thread but it was the NCA which helped him recuperate in time. The tall pacer gave credit to the academy for helping him out in his rehab.
“All credit goes to NCA support staff as they worked really hard with me. We never really thought I have to play a Test because my MRI shows I had a complete ligament tear, not one but two tears. People said ‘he is out for six weeks’,” he recalled.
India is on the backfoot as New Zealand is ahead by 51 runs after the first two days. However, India’s pack leader believes that the team can make a comeback in the Test match.
“We have confidence that we can make a comeback. That has been the specialty of this team.”
Day three is going to be imperative for both sides and will be instrumental in determining which way the Test will swing.
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