Ishant Sharma is one fast bowler who has improved by leaps and bounds in Test cricket over the past 5 years or so.

There was a time when the lanky pacer used to average almost 40 with the ball. The fact that Ishant has played 97 Tests so far with modest statistics is something many fans find it hard to digest.

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But statistics are something that had never bothered him. Sharma just wanted to go out and do what his captain, MS Dhoni, asked him to do.

“MS Dhoni (the captain when Sharma’s numbers were middling) always backed me,” Ishant told ESPNCricinfo in a show called ‘cricketbaaz.’

“Even after my first 50-60 Tests, he never said we’ll look for someone to replace you. To tell you the truth, even after playing 97 Tests, I still don’t understand things like average and strike rate! I’ve never bothered about these things.

“If I’m not able to understand them, why should I rely on them? It’s just a number after all. If I am bowling in India and the captain tells me to bowl in a way that I concede only 40 runs in 20 overs and that the spinners will take care of picking up wickets, that’s what is important to me,” he added.

Ishant Sharma, who made his debut way back in 2007, has 297 wickets to his name at an average of 32.39 in the longest format. He has also featured in 80 ODIs, taking 115 wickets at an average of 30.98.

Ishant stressed on the fact that he just wanted to play the role Dhoni had given him and that’s the reason former India captain trusted him despite having average numbers in red-ball cricket.

“It doesn’t matter to me that my bowling average is around 37. My communication will be with my captain and that’s why Dhoni backed me,” he remarked.