Former India pacer Ashish Nehra was surprised that people have started questioning if the third Test at Headingley was Ishant Sharma’s last game for India in the ongoing five-match Test series in England.
Ishant had a poor outing with the ball in the third Test at Headingley, where he failed to take a single wicket in the 22 overs and also leaked runs in excess of 4 runs per over as India lost the match by an innings and 76 runs against England last week.
Following the experienced pacer’s poor outing in Leeds, Indian skipper Virat Kohli and teammate Mohammad Shami have made it clear that there is nothing wrong with Ishant’s fitness, but his gingerly run-up and multiple no-balls in the third Test raised questions on his place in the playing XI at The Oval.
However, Nehra said it would be really harsh if people question Ishant’s place in Team India playing XI after just one bad match, saying he shouldn’t be judged based on just one performance while reckoning the tourists would not like to play different bowlers in every single Test match.
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Nehra said on Sony Sports Network: “It will be too harsh on Ishant Sharma if we judge and discuss his place in the side after just one Test match. Somebody asked me yesterday, was Headingley Test Ishant Sharma’s last? I was very surprised that somebody even asked me that question.”
He added during a select media interaction, “You can’t judge someone like an Ishant Sharma on one game performance. Yes, we have good four-five bowlers and there is a competition there but you don’t want to see a different bowler in every Test match.”
The former pacer also said India didn’t lose the third Test because of Ishant’s poor bowling. He said, “Ishant is someone who bowls a no-ball here and there so do Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Yes, according to me, Ishant Sharma wasn’t looking in the best of the rhythms. We lost that test match so we are discussing that more.
Ishant’s rhythm was not the reason we lost it. But don’t forget he missed the first game because of a niggle. In the second, it took him a while but because of experience of playing more than 100 Tests, he got back to his groove quickly and had a good Lord’s Test.”
On being asked whether Ishant might be replaced in the fourth Test, Nehra said R Ashwin might get a chance of either Mohammed Siraj or the tall pacer in the fourth Test given The Oval conditions.
He signed off by saying, “Because of conditions in Oval, we might Ashwin get a game in place of a fast bowler, whether it is in place of Ishant or Siraj, only time will tell.”
