After a dismal showing with the ball in the Kanpur Test, India fast bowler Ishant Sharma has gained plenty of criticism from all corners. The 33-year-old pacer went wicketless at Green Park and now faces a tough challenge to retain his place in the team, according to former England pacer Steve Harmison. The former pace bowler believes Ishant is not worthy of a place in the team.
"For me both seamers were also below par in the first Test match, for the life of me I don’t understand how Ishant Sharma got another game of Test cricket after what he did in England, so for me, I'd bring [Mohammed] Siraj in for him. The three spinners bowled well enough, so they'll be the only changes I make," Harmison said on his Youtube channel.
Missed milestone
It’s worth noting that Ishant was on 311 wickets coming into the Kanpur Test and was pepped to go past Zaheer Khan's tally. However, below par performance in the match have hampered his place in the starting eleven. Mohammed Siraj is waiting in the reserves to make an impact. Umesh Yadav though should make the cut in the second Test in Mumbai starting December 3. While Indian pacers got just two wickets, Kiwi pacers claimed 14 out of 17 Indian wickets.
Question mark over South Africa ticket
The Delhi-born seamer has been in a tough run of form. The 33-year-old's last notable display came two years ago against Bangladesh. Mohammed Shami is another player who is not available for the ongoing series as he was rested. With the South Africa tour soon approaching Ishant needs to make an impact to be on the flight on December 8.
Team India will leave for South Africa next week with the first Test starting in Johannesburg on December 17. While Harmison remains critical of Ishant, England are also in for a tough fight with the Ashes beginning down under on December 8 with new Australian skipper Pat Cummins taking on Eoin Morgan’s England.
