Image Source: Bcci/ Indian Team
The seasoned Indian cricket player may be renowned for his outstanding performances in Test matches, but he was confident that he could excel even more in limited-overs cricket before an unfortunate incident abruptly ended his aspirations.
Perception is a powerful thing. It takes a lifetime to build and a moment to destroy. One person who knows this all too well is veteran India cricketer Ishant Sharma. Although he is renowned for his outstanding Test bowling heroics and being one of the few fast bowlers in modern times to have played 100 Tests, Ishant's misfortune in a 2013 ODI match against Australia forever changed the way he was perceived in the white-ball format.
Despite his heroics in Test cricket, Ishant believed that he had the ability to excel in limited-overs cricket as well. However, that dream was cut short by a devastating moment that became the "lowest point" of his career.
The Mohali ODI match against the George Bailey-led Australia side in 2013 proved to be a turning point for Ishant. During the match, he was thrashed for 30 runs by James Faulkner, including a boundary and four sixes. However, what hurt him the most was that India lost the match because of that one over. Ishant was devastated, and he cried for almost a month after that match. He would call his wife every day and cry over the phone, blaming himself for the team's loss.
The fast bowler's low moment also compelled people to think that he was not a white-ball bowler. However, Ishant revealed that he received support from then-skipper MS Dhoni and teammate Shikhar Dhawan. They told him that he had been doing well and that he should not let the perception affect him. Despite the encouragement, Ishant was benched for the rest of the series and only managed a handful of appearances in the format, playing his last in 2016.
The fast bowler however revealed the support he received from then-skipper MS Dhoni and teammate Shikhar Dhawan although he felt that the match compelled people into thinking that he is not a white-ball bowler.
“The good thing that happened was Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) came to my room and Shikhar (Dhawan), who was playing that game, also came and said, >
'Look you have been doing well (Dekh, tu acha khel raha hai).' Because of that one match there became a perception that I am not a white-ball bowler,” he added.
Ishant was later benched in that series and only managed a handful of appearances in the format, having played his last in 2016."
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