Ishant also recalled his and his father's reactions to maiden India call-up.
Making his ODI debut against South Africa in Belfast, Ireland in 2007, Ishant Sharma went on to play 80 ODIs, picking 115 wickets with best of 4/34. He also played 105 Tests, picking 311 wickets, and took 8 scalps in 14 T20Is.
He and Zaheer Khan formed a formidable opening bowling pair for India and in a chat on Jio Cinema, Ishant revealed how the veteran pacer helped him when he made his ODI debut in 2007.
"I was more nervous about the whole travel bit than about a match. Somehow, I made it to Ireland, jet-lagged, only to realize that my kit bag was missing. I knew that stuff gets stolen on the train but I had no idea this could happen on a flight," Ishant Sharma said on Home of Heroes on JioCinema.
"I slept that night in the clothes I traveled in. I didn't have my suitcase and my kit bag. I didn't have any cards back then, so all my money was also there. I never knew what to use between a debit or credit card, so my father just told me to use cash. I didn't even know I could claim that my kit bag was stolen, so I hadn't done that,” he added.
Ishant revealed that he asked Zaheer Khan for number 11 size shoes and the left-arm pacer loaned him a pair, which he wore despite discomfort as he played his maiden ODI for India.
"Rahul Dravid told me that I have to debut the next day and I responded, 'But I can't play barefoot!' I didn't even practice. I asked Zak (Zaheer Khan) for a pair of size 11 shoes so I could play the match. He gave me some shoes, but my toe kept hurting, but I didn't care," Ishant said.
“He gave me some shoes”- Ishant Sharma recalls how Zaheer Khan helped him in his ODI debut
Ishant further added that he was overwhelmed sharing the dressing room with the star players he had till then watched only on television. Hence Zaheer Khan aided him in getting comfortable in the dressing room.
"I remember the Bangladesh series where I made my Test debut. A dressing room with Paaji (Harbhajan Singh), Rahul bhai, Dada (Saurav Ganguly), Yuvi bhai (Yuvraj Singh), and Wasim bhai (Wasim Jaffer) was overwhelming. I used to sit with Zak and watch them on TV and now suddenly share the room with them.
I wanted to go and lie down but somehow I controlled my feelings. I couldn't muster the courage to say a word. Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) and RP Singh were there. I was in a situation where a goat was surrounded by lions. Zak imagined what I was going through and told me to chill and relax. After that, I felt a lot more comfortable, but I was sitting quietly in a corner," he said.
Ishant also talked about when he was first selected for the Indian team and the way his father reacted to the news.
"I debuted in Bangladesh. I was at home when I got a call for India selection. I still remember that day, for the first time, I saw my father in tears. They were tears of joy, and he told me this was just the start. I had never hugged my father, we bonded well but obviously, we would have occasional disagreements over certain topics, and he would suppress his emotions. He would want to appear strong. He never imagined this day would come," said Ishant.
(IANS inputs)