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Hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Ishant Sharma shot into the limelight by bowling a dream spell to Ricky Ponting in the Perth Test when India toured Australia in 2008. Ishant, who hails from Delhi, is nicknamed Lambu (meaning Tall Guy), which is in reference to his lean and tall build. Measuring 193cm, Ishant started playing serious cricket at the age of 14 and soon made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi at the age of 18. He was first selected for India in May 2007 when India toured Bangladesh and made his Test debut in that same series. His big break came when he prised out the Pakistani side on a flat Chinnaswamy deck en route to taking 5/140 in December 2007. That bowling effort won him a place on India's tour to Australia and from then on there was no looking back for the lanky lad. The year 2009 turned out to be a rough one for the Delhi lad as he got to experience the vagaries of international cricket. It all started to go wrong during the second edition of the IPL when he looked a pale shadow of the bowler he is as he was smashed to all corners of the ground. With his performance plummeting, his side, Kolkata, had a horrid season finishing last. The downward slide continued in the T20 World Cup as well and the wheel came full circle when he was dropped from the side mid-way during the India - Australia ODI series in October 2009 after another disappointing show with the ball. The Sri Lankan tour in 2015 was a big tipping point, especially his eight wickets in the deciding Test in Colombo - which swung the match India's way. His returns at home weren't as expected, then an injury and a marriage-enforced break meant he ended up missing most of the home season in 2016. Since 2016, Ishant clearly stepped down in the pecking order of Indian fast bowlers. The return to fitness of Mohammed Shami and the resurgence of Umesh Yadav left the lanky Delhi pacer warming the benches for most of the season. Ishant did get to show his wares in a few Tests during the long 13-Test Indian home season in 2016-17, but on pitches that were unresponsive for his style of bowling, he barely managed decent figures. In the years that followed, Ishant managed to hold on to his place in the Indian Test team. In India’s 2018 tour to England, Ishant claimed his 250th Test wicket in the fourth game. In February of 2021, Ishant joined an elite list of players after playing his 100th Test. He had a sober outing in a game that India’s spinners dominated. Thereafter, however, the rise of young pacers like Mohammad Siraj coupled with a change of leadership prompted by Virat Kohli’s resignation as Test captain, led to Ishant’s exit from the Test team.
