Ishant Sharma hasn’t been able to lead India’s bowling, rues Venkatesh Prasad

He once bore the responsibility of the Indian pace bowling department along with Javagal Srinath and after the latter got injured, by himself alone. Venkatesh Prasad, who played for India in Tests for five years to take 96 wickets, is all praise for the current status of India’s fast bowling and believes Ishant Sharma, the most experienced of the pacers, to lead the pack and not play a second-fiddle road.

Speaking to DNA in an interview, Prasad, who has played of coach, mentor and selector after calling his day, said Ishant Sharma, 29, is yet to stamp his authority despite playing for a long time and hoped that the five-Test England series beginning August 1 changes his entire perspective and he becomes a lead bowler.

Prasad made his debut in 1996 at the same Edgbaston where the first Test of the series will be played and took 6 wickets in the very first game and then backed it with a five-for at Lord’s. When asked about the current scenario of India’s fast bowling, the soon-to-turn-49 ex-player said:  “No doubt, it is brilliant. The current fast bowlers and also the upcoming ones are really good. Also, the fitness aspect of the fast bowlers is terrific. They are able to manage their fitness, manage their bowling loads. There is a lot of technology, a lot of management have come in terms of handling the players, especially the fast bowlers.”

Ishant has not adapted well to different conditions, says Prasad

Asked why Ishant Sharma hasn’t yet been able to lead India’s attack, Prasad said his problem has been adaptability. “He has got everything that a fast bowler needs. He has got the height, pace, and bounce. But, he is someone who has not adapted well to different conditions, venues and so on. He has probably stuck to the same back of a length, not using the conditions well. You need to change according to the condition.”

“Maybe on a seaming track, you need to pitch slightly more up. He is not a three-quarter length bowler, he is a back-of-length bowler. Normally, on a seaming track, even when you are bowling really well since you are bowling slightly back, you tend to miss the edges. The moment you try to look to pitch the ball up, you are a bit too full, which sits up for the batsman to drive. He was not able to get the length between the back of a length and fuller length.”

Prasad said Sharma made his appearance around the time when he was India’s bowling coach and lauded Sharma for working extremely hard on his bowling. But it was the adaptability factor that hindered his way from becoming an automatic choice in all playing conditions. ice.

Stay updated on ‘today’s cricket news‘ with CricTracker.com.