Ishant Sharma missed the 2nd Mumbai Test against New Zealand which India won after dislocating his left little finger. Ishant Sharma’s poor form in recent times has been a big point of discussion of late. Despite being India’s second-highest wicket-taker among pacers in Test cricket, he hasn’t quite put in the performances he was expected to. In the ongoing two-match series against New Zealand, the right-arm speedster had his ups and downs.
After going wicketless in the Kanpur Test, he missed the Mumbai Test after dislocating his left little finger. Since India’s tour of England earlier this year, Ishant has lost quite a bit of form. Mohammed Siraj was called upon to replace him in the playing eleven. The netizens reckon that the lanky pacer should be given some rest going forward.
Ishant Sharma’s Place In The Test Team For South African Tour Is Doubtful
As per reports, Ishant Sharma’s place in the Test team for the South Africa tour is also under the clouds. Pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, both of whom were rested for NZ Tests, seem to be the automatic picks and it will be tough to leave out an in-form Mohammed Siraj as well.
Umesh Yadav hasn’t been a regular member of India’s Test team, but on current form, he is in a better place than Ishant Sharma. If India goes in with six fast bowlers for the South Africa tour, the likes of uncapped Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan are a few options.
After a match-haul of nine wickets against Bangladesh in the Day/Night Test in 2019, the maximum Ishant Sharma has claimed in a match is five wickets. Ishant Sharma’s lacklustre show was again on display during the 1st Kanpur Test in New Zealand, where the India pacer went wicketless in both innings.
In the World Test Championship final against eventual winners New Zealand in Southampton, Ishant Sharma picked up three wickets, all in the first innings, and went without any in the second. Next, he played the Lord’s Test, where Ishant Sharma grabbed three and two wickets in the first and second innings, respectively.
At Leeds, where England hammered India by an innings and 76 runs, Ishant Sharma again had gone wicketless, which means the India pacer has now failed to pick up a wicket in his last two Test matches. Ishant Sharma has played 105 Tests and picked 311 scalps averaging 32.41. He averages 32.71 in 2021 picking only 14 scalps in 8 Tests.
Ajinkya Rahane Is Also Doubtful To Be Selected After Poor Form
Apart from Ishant Sharma, questions over vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s form have also been raised. If reports are to be believed, Ajinkya Rahane isn’t an automatic choice in India’s Test team anymore due to his poor run of form over the last 12 months or so. He may also lose his Test vice-captaincy role to Rohit Sharma.
“Obviously, he is going to South Africa but had he not got injured, there was a high chance of him getting dropped from the eleven. So, if he is not a sure-shot starter, how can he remain the deputy. If Rahane is removed from vice-captaincy, Rohit is the obvious choice. He was in fact vice-captain in Australia Test series in last two games,” a BCCI official said.
The Chetan Sharma-led selection panel may also take a call on Virat Kohli’s ODI captaincy.
“As of now, it looks difficult that Virat would be able to keep his ODI captaincy but since ODI isn’t important this year with very few matches here and there, one can think of delaying the decision,” the official added.
Ajinkya Rahane has had a horror run with the bat over the last year, which has seen his average dip to under 40(39.3). In fact, he averages a mere 19.57 in 12 Tests in 2021, his lowest average in a year since debuting in 2013.