Out-of-favor Indian pacer Ishant Sharma opened up about a difficult period in his life back in 2013. The moment occurred during the third ODI against Australia in Mohali, when James Faulkner scored 30 runs off a single over bowled by Ishant. At that point, Australia was chasing 304 and required 44 runs from the last three overs. Ishant bowled the 48th over, which Faulkner exploited ruthlessly.
Faulkner went on to remain unbeaten on 64 off just 29 balls, leading Australia to a four-wicket victory. Ishant revealed that he felt depressed for a month following that match and admitted that he used to call and cry to his then-girlfriend, now wife, Pratima Singh.
“I went into depression for a month. Not depression exactly but I used to cry every day. I was dating Pratima at that time. I shared my feelings with her that I could not with my parents as well. She is not only my wife but like my best friend. I used to call her and cry that the team lost because of me. Then we went to South Africa.”
“I did not play the first two one-days and played the third. I was in my shell and was not able to move on. I then thought either I cry and play or fight and play. I don’t know how it clicked but I decided to fight. I picked four wickets. Then I took wickets in the Test matches as well. My mentality actually changed from there,” he said on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
While Faulkner gave him a nightmare, Ishant Sharma named Tendulkar, Ponting, Hayden, Sehwag, Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Kohli, and Rohit as the toughest white-ball batters he bowled to, and Steve Smith as the hardest in Tests. He has taken 311 Test and 115 ODI wickets in his career.
“Cricket Doesn’t Wait”: Ishant Sharma On India Ready Without Virat And Rohit
In the same discussion, Ishant Sharma was asked if India is prepared for a phase without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He stated that cricket doesn’t wait for anyone and noted that both players must be aware that there will come a time when they step away from the game completely.
“Cricket does not stop for anyone, right? Fans feel bad, and as an individual, you may feel bad. All that is there. But the good thing is that both of them are mature and know that is will happen at some point in time. I think the faster you understand, the better it is,” he said.
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