Ishant Sharma is the most pissed off right now, says Virat Kohli

While the rest of the Team India was busy celebrating their first Test win in Australia after almost ten years, someone from the playing XI was not so happy about his individual performance. Despite finishing the match with figures of 3/95, the number ‘five’ in the no-balls column was ‘pissing off’ Ishant Sharma.

It did not end up making a difference in the match result, as India bagged the first Test by a comfortable margin of 31 runs but the lanky fast bowler was conscious of the fact that it could have. As a senior bowler of the team, such mistakes are quite unexpected and also unacceptable from him, and Ishant was well-aware of that and angry with himself for the very reason.

Ishant’s reaction

“Ishant is the most pissed off right now,” Virat Kohli said after the match in the press conference. “We were all celebrating but he was really, really angry with himself and we asked him why and he said ‘I cannot afford to bowl a no-ball being a senior guy and having played so much cricket in the crunch situation when the umpire could have given that out’.”

It could have been a real matter of concern at a more important stage of the series or had the scenario of the first match was different.

The no-ball saga

The Indian pacer had already been called for two no-balls in the first innings. The situation continued as Ishant kept struggling with his run-up in Australia’s second innings as well. The continuous no-balls not only cost him extra runs, but also an important wicket.

In the very first over of the Aussie chase, a perfect in-swinger from Ishant Sharma struck Aaron Finch on the pads and the original decision by the umpire was ‘out’. But the review replay showed that the pacer had overstepped the line and the decision was reversed. Ishant was dangerously close to overstepping when he had scalped Finch in the first innings as well but he got away with it.

The bowler perhaps lost another potential wicket to overstepping when his delivery hit Nathan Lyon‘s pads and would have gone to hit the leg stumps, but it was immediately called a no-ball by umpire Kumar Dharmasena.

The captain’s take

Despite the concerning number of no-balls Ishant Sharma has bowled, Kohli says there is nothing to worry about. He is sure himself and assures everyone that Ishant will be doing everything in his capacity to take responsibility for the mistakes he is making and rectify them.

“It’s not a school-team environment here. So, look, guys take ownership of those things but they can commit mistakes. As long as the attitude is right, we look to correct those mistakes. So this incident that’s happened, I am sure Ishant is going to be obsessed about not doing it again.,” the Indian captain further said with confidence.

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