Ishant Sharma on cusp of a new landmark

The speedster set to become second Indian pacer after Kapil Dev to play 100 Tests.

Ahmedabad: Ishant Sharma on Monday attributed his remarkable longevity in the game to understanding what the “captain wants from him” than the other way round as he finds himself on the cusp of becoming only the second Indian pacer after Kapil Dev to play 100 Tests.

Ishant made his Test debut as a gangly 18-year-old in Bangladesh when Rahul Dravid was the captain and subsequently was led by Anil Kumble, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane during the last decade and half. So which captain understood him the best in all these years?

“It is difficult to say who understood me the most as all of them understood me really well. But more than the captain understanding me, it was always important as to how I understood the captain,” Ishant said during the virtual conference ahead of the third Test against England, beginning here on Wednesday.

“That’s very important. What does the captain want from me specifically. If those things are clear, communication becomes easier,” said the man who has 302 wickets from 99 Tests. Does he think that being dropped from white ball squads and also missing out on a couple of seasons of IPL helped him reach to the milestone quicker than many others? “I normally treat this as a blessing in disguise. It’s not that I don’t want to play white ball as that’s what is the job of a sportsman but if he is not playing, what does he do? At best he can train.

“I didn’t want my Test cricket to get affected because of my non-selection in ODIs. At least I should be grateful that I am at least playing one format,” he said. For him, it was important that he forgets what’s not there and be grateful for what he has. “So if you don’t think too much, be grateful and try to focus on the format you are playing, it only helps you. May be it helped me in completing 100 Tests. “Having said that, I don’t think had I played three formats, I couldn’t have played 100 Tests. May be it would have taken a bit longer. I am only 32 and not 42.”

So does crossing Kapil Dev’s 131 Tests cross his mind? “131 will take a long time. I only want to think about qualifying for the WTC final. This is my World Cup where if I win can have the same feeling that others had while winning ODI world Cup.”

Ask him about Jimmy Anderson playing at 38 and if he could play till that age, he laughs. “38? I will go one game at a time. You never know what comes next. Yes, I am more professional about my recovery now. Earlier, I would train hard but didn’t focus on my recovery. As you grow older, you need to recover well to bowl long spells, take care of your body.”