Published 16:55 IST, February 23rd 2020
Ishant Sharma inducted into the elite Test list after his fifer against New Zealand
With this fifer, Ishant Sharma has now been inducted into elite list of Indian players with the most 5-wicket haul and shares the 2nd position with Zaheer Khan
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Coming off an injury, speedster Ishant Sharma has led the Indian pace attack with a fifer in the first Test against New Zealand at Wellington. While other bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah failed to trouble the Blackcaps at their home turf, Sharma kept picking wickets to help India keep the run-deficit minimum. At the end of New Zealand's first innings, the Blackcaps had scored 348 runs with a lead of 183 runs, while Ishant Sharma bagged another fifer off by dismissing Tom Latham, Blundell, Taylor, Southee and Boult.
Ishant Sharma gets his 11th 5-wicket haul
With this fifer, Sharma has now been inducted into the elite list of Indian players with the most five-wicket haul. Sharma shares the second position with Zaheer Khan with 11 5-wicket hauls to their name. Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev sits on top of the list with 23 5-wicket hauls. hile Zaheer had taken 92 Tests to reach the mark, Sharma did it in his 97th Test.
Former Australian speedster Jason Gillespie was all praise for India's veteran Test pacer Ishant Sharma as the latter grabbed a fifer in the first Test against New Zealand. Ishant Sharma raced against time to recover from an injury that he had p[icked up during the Ranji Trophy and had made it just in time to join the Indian side just a day before the game began.
Jason Gillespie took to Twitter to laud Ishant Sharma. The former Australian pacer hailed Ishant Sharma's attitude of wanting to constantly learn and improve his game. Jason Gillespie credited the coaching staff and the support staff for helping Ishant Sharma recover efficiently from the injury and for him to be able to return to his rhythm without any hindrance.
'Anything for the team'
Speedster Ishant Sharma slept barely four hours in the past two days but kept India in the fight with three New Zealand wickets in the first Test even as he struggled hard to deal with a "jet-lag". Three weeks back, the veteran of 96 Tests was all but out of New Zealand series after suffering multiple ligament tears in his right ankle during a Ranji Trophy game but travelled for 24 hours and arrived here 72 hours before the start of the first Test. "I am not happy because I have not slept for two days and I was struggling a lot today (with my body). The way I would have liked to bowl, it did not happen. They asked me to play and I played. Anything, for the team," said India's senior-most player.
16:55 IST, February 23rd 2020