ICC World Cup 2019 | Ishant Sharma named as stand-by second option pace bowler
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Ishant Sharma has been named as a pace bowling stand-by for the Indian team ahead of the upcoming World Cup, although Navdeep Saini remains as the first choice. In this edition of the IPL, Sharma has taken 10 wickets in 10 games at an average of 29.10 and an economy rate of 7.65 for Delhi Capitals.
Ishant's white-ball appearances in the international scene have diminished a fair bit in the last few years, but on Saturday, the Delhi pacer highlighted that he could be an impressive performer with the white ball for the Indian team and that caught the selector’s eyes. So much so that he has been picked in the Indian team as a stand-by for the ICC World Cup, alongside Navdeep Saini, Ambati Rayudu, and Rishabh Pant.
"Saini is our No 1 choice as a reserve seamer, while Ishant is the second option. He has experience of bowling in the English conditions, and he's bowling well currently," a source in the BCCI told TOI.
If Ishant travels with the Indian team as a back-up, it will be a great help for the team to have him in the nets as well, as even though they have some swing and left-arm options, they don’t really have any experienced batsman in the team who could create some problems for them. However, with the board source revealing, it would be Navdeep Saini who will be the first preference in case an injury woe arrives, Ishant’s dreams of making his World Cup may remain as a dream only.
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