Ishant Sharma, one of the mainstays in India's Test team, turned 31 on Monday. The bowler made his Test debut in 2007 at the age of 18.
India's premier fast bowler Ishant Sharma has turned 31 on Monday. Ishant made his Test debut at the age of 18 against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
The pacer has been one of the mainstays in the Indian bowling attack in Test matches. He has also played in 80 one-day internationals, but has been out of the limited-overs setup since 2016.
For a major part of his Test career, Ishant showcased moments of brilliance, like his spell at Lord's in 2014, where he took seven wickets in an innings to secure a historic win for India. However, he couldn't sustain his performances for longer periods of time.
This changed in the last two years, during which Ishant not only improved on his performances and turned into a regular wicket-taking bowler, but also established himself as one of the seniors in the side.
In his 92-Test long career, Ishant Sharma has taken 276 wickets. On Day 2 of the ongoing Test match against West Indies, Ishant also hit his first half-century in the longest format of the game, as he helped take India's total past 400 in the first innings.
Yesterday, he became the most successful Indian pacer outside Asia when he dismissed Jahmar Hamilton, surpassing former Indian captain Kapil Dev for the feat. He now remains behind Anil Kumble for the Indian record, but still needs 44 wickets to go past the legendary spinner.
Many former and current Indian cricketers, as well as the BCCI and the ICC wished Ishant Sharma on his 31st birthday.
Ishant will be hoping to celebrate his birthday with a series win against West Indies on Monday, as India need 8 wickets to seal the two-match series and kick off their campaign in the World Test Championship on a high.
