Felt I betrayed India after conceding 30 runs to James Faulkner in 2013, reveals Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma’s career could be broken into two parts - pre-2013 and post-2014. The lanky Delhi pacer made the headlines for his stunning spell against Ricky Ponting during his early years. However, since then, the pacer’s inconsistency and erratic line and length had left the Indian management worried. 

In 2013, when Australia visited the country for a five-match ODI series, it looked like a final nail in the coffin for the pacer, who conceded 30 runs against James Faulkner to let the visitors win in Mohali. With the visitors needing 44 runs from 18 deliveries, the game was pretty much sided towards the hosts. 

Everything changed dramatically after Ishant conceded 30 runs with Australia rightly going on to win the contest. Following the loss, the pacer was subject to the harshest of criticism and in his own words, Ishant felt that he had betrayed India after that one over in Mohali. 

“The turning point of my life came in 2013. Faulkner hit me for 30 runs in one over in an ODI in Mohali that Australia went on to win,” Sharma was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on their show cricketbaazi.

That was unfortunately not all of it, as the pacer’s mental health took a beating following the incident. The now experienced pacer revealed that the three weeks that followed the encounter was a ‘nightmare.’ 

“At that time I felt I had betrayed myself and my country. For two-three weeks, I didn’t speak to anyone. I cried a lot. I am a very tough guy. My mother says she hasn’t seen a tougher person than me. I called my girlfriend and cried on the phone like a child. Those three weeks were like a nightmare. I stopped eating. I couldn’t sleep or do anything else. You switch on the television and people are criticising you, which messes you up even more,” said Ishant.

The 31-year-old narrated how post-2013, he started taking more responsibility for his actions and played to win every game for the team. Immediately, in the 2013 Champions Trophy, Ishant dramatically turned around his fortunes when he picked up the twin wickets of Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan to give India a famous victory in the final. 

“But after 2013, if someone came to me and said that, I wouldn’t listen. If I have made a mistake, I have made a mistake. I started taking responsibility for my actions. When you do that, you play every match to win it for the team,” he said.