Indian pacer Ishant Sharma would not like to go back to Chandigarh after the way he was treated there back in 2013 by the Australians. Ishant was hit for 30 runs in an over by James Faulkner in the death overs. The speedster revealed he cried for 15 days after that incident.

It was the third ODI of Australia's tour to India and the visitors needed 44 runs off last three overs and Faulkner was batting on 24 runs off 18 deliveries when Ishant came to bowl the 48th over of the match. He was thrashed for four sixes and one four in the over. The game was snatched away by Aussies and the then skipper MS Dhoni's 139* runs innings went in vain.

Talking about that game to The Indian Express, Ishant said, “I have always been hard on myself; I am not someone who just pushes things under the carpet. I lost a game for India. I didn’t cry for just one day… I cried for 15 days at least."

That was a depressing phase for him and his girlfriend (now wife) Pratima and friend Rajiv Mahajan had helped him to get out of it.

Ishant is not part of the limited-overs side, but he is a regular member of the Test team. He also spoke about the change in his bowling that helped him succeed. “There was a time when I used to keep bowling normally. Like for left-handers I used to keep bowling over-the-stumps, but now I have started changing. Now I train at nets to bowl round the stumps to a leftie. Or say, for a right-hander all I used to bowl was the ball that came in. Now I have tried to develop the straight ball.”

The lanky pacer wants to become a regular wicket-taker. “I am fed up of listening to the same things — yes he has been bowling long spells, he is economical but not taking wickets. It is important to have a strike rate,” he said.

“I still have long net sessions where I keep bowling. Earlier I used to work a lot, now I work smart.”

(With The Indian Express Inputs)