IPL 2020 | Ishant Sharma is natural leader, wants to talk cricket all the time, quips Ryan Harris

From being on-field rivals to sharing the relationship of a coach and a player, Ryan Harris and Ishant Sharma have come a long way. Just days before the 2020 IPL season, the former Aussie pacer was roped in by DC's head coach and his countryman, Ricky Ponting at the eleventh hour. Harris is rejoicing his time with the Delhi Capitals, more so, with India's leading Test bowler, Ishant Sharma as they both have a lot of mutual admiration for each other.

The 40-year-old, who was earlier working as a coach with Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) disclosed that the seasoned campaigner is also helping in bridging the communication gap with the players, who aren't very conversational in English. 

"I have spoken more to Ishant probably about that than the other Indian guys. There are guys who can understand English really well and some can't. Most of the guys here are pretty good but there's still one or two who sometimes might not quite get it across. So I've spoken to Ishant, for instance, to make sure that he can (translate) and he's doing it beautifully. I know Ishant and have met him a few times. He's someone I really trust and admire, not just for the way he plays cricket but also as a person. So I'm making sure that if I talk to one of the younger guys, he (Ishant) is around so that the player knows what I'm saying and he can relate to that as well to make sure that we are on the same page," Harris said in an interview with Timesofindia.com.

"I've spoken to Ishant about being a leader. I don't have to do that because he knows that he naturally does that (lead the bowling unit) with the amount of cricket he has played. So having someone like him, an experienced guy who wants to talk cricket with me all the time and wants to learn from me and I still want to learn from him, that for me is a really good, positive relationship. So he's been excellent like that and you have to be during the whole IPL," he added.

Interestingly, Delhi Capitals will take on Kings XI Punjab, Harris' last team, in their opening encounter on September 20 at Dubai international stadium. Last year, the Shreyas Iyer-led side had made it to the playoffs but failed to make it to the last two after putting up a top-show throughout.