IND vs NZ | Ishant Sharma doesn’t get the respect he deserves, feels Scott Styris
Cricketer-turned-analyst Scott Styris is of the opinion that Ishant Sharma doesn't get the respect he richly deserves as a cricketer even though he has put up terrific numbers. Styris has further added that Ishant was right on the face of the batsmen and the rewards are slowly bearing fruit.
Even though he was returning after an injury lay-off, Ishant showed no signs of it in what could be called as a terrific display of swing bowling in Wellington. Not only did he snap out five Kiwi batsman but he also controlled the pressure from one end in a solid fashion, not letting the opposition any chance to score freely. Although India were touch expensive on Day 3, giving away a lot of freebies to the Kiwi tailenders, Ishant held aloof and now garnered praise from Scott Styris.
“He perhaps doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Those are phenomenal numbers. He is a terrific performer. His ability to consistently bowl at one area is great. He is right in the face of the batsmen and you can see the rewards are slowly coming,” said Scott Styris on the post-match show on Star Sports.
However, this wasn't the case for the longest time in Ishant's career when he was known to be a holding bowler, rarely picking a wicket. MS Dhoni had always trusted him but Ishant's bowling reflected MS Dhoni's defensive captaincy. Not until Virat Kohli took over and assigned him the role, Ishant shone on his new avatar, emerging as one of India's finest bowlers at the moment.