Ishant Sharma, veteran pacer along with senior batsmen Ajnikya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, will be under the scanner during the forthcoming South Africa series that starts with the Boxing Day Test at Centurion.
The upcoming South Africa tour, in all likelihood, is going to be Ishant Sharma’s last Test series. With India’s pace department boasting of several young pacers, along with seasoned campaigners, the national selectors have decided to look beyond the Delhi seamer with 100-plus Tests under his belt.
Ishant Sharma Has Lost His Status As India’s Pace Spearhead As The Likes Of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, And Shardul Thakur Have Emerged
Ishant Sharma, along with the two other 33-year-olds in the squad, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara, will be under the scanner during the 3 match Test series in the Proteas tour.
“Rahane’s removal as vice-captain is a clear warning signal to him. As a senior member in the side, he needs to contribute more. The same is true for Pujara also. He too has been around for a long time and now the team expects him to play those crucial knocks in big games. In case they score and have a significant impact on the series, they might be able to extend their Test careers. But in the case of Ishant, this could be it,” a BCCI official said.
With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami rising to prominence, Ishant Sharma has long lost his status as India’s pace spearhead. He is now the third or fourth-choice pacer, depending on conditions and team combination. But the emergence of the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur has given the team management a problem of plenty.
Several pacers like Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Navdeep Saini have been waiting in the wings for a long time. Newest pace sensation uncapped Umran Malik, who bowled one of the fastest deliveries in IPL 2021, is another fast bowler whose progress is being closely monitored by the selection committee.
India’s next Test assignment after the South Africa tour is a home series against Sri Lanka in February-March 2022 and the team usually doesn’t include more than two fast bowlers in the playing XI in home conditions. The next overseas Test is a one-off affair at Old Trafford in 2022 when the Covid-forced postponed game will be played to complete last season’s five-match Test series.
This has also impacted the selectors’ decision to call time on Ishant Sharma’s career. Over the past 12 months, Ishant Sharma has played eight Tests, taking 14 wickets at 32.71. He has also struggled to manage his workload, especially during the England tour. After a promising show in the second Test at Lord’s, where he took five wickets across both innings, a visibly- fatigued Ishant Sharma bowled pathetically in the third Test at Headingley, conceding 92 runs in 22 overs without a wicket.
In the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last month, he looked woefully out of rhythm. The Green Park pitch barely assisted him, but during the 15 overs Ishant Sharma bowled in the first innings, the veteran seamer looked ineffective. He bowled just seven overs in the second innings and when, after lunch on the final day, India turned to pace, Umesh Yadav was preferred to get some reverse swing.
Umesh Yadav bowled an excellent spell, taking William Somerville’s wicket and repeatedly troubling Kane Williamson. A finger injury during the 1st game ruled Ishant Sharma out of the second Test. After the 1st Kanpur Test, India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey defended Ishant Sharma, citing his lack of match fitness.
“He hasn’t played much for a long time. He wasn’t there in the IPL nor (did he play) the T20 World Cup, and that makes a difference. So yes, we are working on it,” Mhambrey had said.
The WTC final followed by the England tour earlier this year was the end of a cycle for the Indian team. Ravi Shastri stepped down as the team’s head coach after the T20I World Cup. His successor, Rahul Dravid, has always shown a keen interest in nurturing youth, right from his days as India U-19 coach.
Under him, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti burst onto the scene at the 2018 U-19 World Cup, grabbing lucrative IPL contracts with Kolkata Knight Riders. Both are expected to carry on with their development under fast bowling coach Troy Cooley at the National Cricket Academy.
Both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the undisputed leading pacers have some years ahead left in international cricket. Mohammed Siraj, since making his Test debut in Australia last year, has taken 33 wickets in 10 matches. His pace-burst during New Zealand’s first innings at Wankhede – 3/19 in four overs – was what India missed in the first Test.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were rested for the home Tests against the Kiwis, while a bloated 18-member squad for the South Africa tour has allowed Ishant Sharma to have a farewell series.
The Perth Test in 2008 was Ishant Sharma’s moment of recognition. Lord’s in 2014 – 7/74 in the second innings – was his crowning glory. When poor form forced him out of the Indian team, he turned to former Aussie pacer Jason Gillespie at Sussex to revive his career. After claiming 311 wickets in 105 Tests, Ishant Sharma will play out his last act against the Proteas.
Cheteshwar Pujara And Ajinkya Rahane Has To Score Beyond 40s And 50s To Avoid The Test Axe
It is also learned that the upcoming Test series is the last chance saloon for Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
“They have to score big runs (to avoid the axe), not 40s and 50s,” the BCCI functionary said.
Shreyas Iyer’s sensational Test debut against the Kiwis has made the middle-order competition even more intense. With Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill (considered a middle-order option when Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are available), and Hanuma Vihari vying for a spot alongside Shreyas Iyer, the two senior batsmen have little margin for error. The selection committee has already given them a long rope.
Ajinkya Rahane’s stats are even worse – 411 runs from 12 Tests over the last 12 months, at an average of 19.57. Surprisingly, his form nosedived following a match-winning hundred in Melbourne last year. Ajinkya Rahane was left out of the playing XI in the second Test against New Zealand under the pretext of a hamstring strain. He has now lost his Test vice-captaincy as well.