‘I don't think there is any upcoming bowler in the fray who is capable of bowling 140-plus regularly’
‘When the wicket or the ball is not helping you, you have to let go off your strength and bowl according to the opposition's weakness’
Praising the Indian pace quintet picked for the ongoing Test series in Australia, speedster Ishant Sharma said the present attack is the best the national cricket team will possess in the near future.
After Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the first two Tests against Australia due to injury, the team management went ahead with Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron and Ishant ahead of Umesh Yadav for the first match. Ishant believes the new pace battery is well equipped.
"According to me this is the best fast bowling attack that India will probably have in the near future. I don't think there is any upcoming bowler in the fray who is capable of bowling 140-plus regularly," Ishant told bcci.tv.
"Along with pace you also need to have the understanding about your game, body and the ability to adapt and adjust according to the demand of the situation. That will give you more control over the ball. Pace with control is a lethal combination. These things come only with experience and our young pacers will get there soon," he added.
While Shami and Aaron picked two wickets each on the opening day, the opening bowling duo was guilty of letting away Day 1 centurion David Warner in the first spell. Ishant said the youngsters will learn with time.
"This is their first tour to Australia. They didn't have any first hand experience of how aggressively the Aussies bat. In England you can get away with a little width because they would still defend it away. But that margin of error is very narrow with the Australians," he said.
"Initially, our pacers didn't expect the wicket to be so slow – in Australia you expect more bounce and pace but that is not the case with this pitch. They figured that out eventually and changed their line of attack accordingly," he added.
Having played cricket all around the world in his seven-year-long career, Ishant gave his tips on bowling with a 'Kookaburra' ball.
"You have to figure out the batsman's weakness, form a plan accordingly and keep at it constantly. If you know a batsman likes to play the cover drive, don’t give him that ball and instead make him punch I off the backfoot," he said.
"And do it consistently. When the wicket or the ball is not helping you, you have to let go off your strength and bowl according to the opposition's weakness and the game situation," he added.
Having represented India in 58 Tests and 75 ODIs, Ishant, who drew first blood in the ongoing match by sending opener Chris Rogers back in the pavilion, has certainly matured as a bowler and the lanky pacer was happy to share his experience.
"I am very much aware about my game. When we come up with a plan as a bowling unit, every bowler has a different way of executing it. I think a lot about the plan and try to work around it in the nets in a way it would suit my bowling," he said.
"All the planning amounts to nothing if you don't implement it on the field. I was disciplined in the nets and brought that into the match. This whole process has helped me a lot," he added.
