The gangly India pacer, Ishant Sharma has credited senior fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, for the development in his bowling line and length.
Defending a meager 20-overs total of 129 runs at the
Nehru Stadium in Kochi, the 22-year old Delhi bowler, returned with
stunning match figures of 5 for 12 to lead Deccan Chargers to an
emphatic 55-run victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
“I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told
me to keep working hard on my fitness. Working with him is really
tremendous for me", said Ishant while talking to the media reporters
after the match.
It was Ishant’s first ever five-wicket haul in the
T20 format of the game. He was awarded with the man of the match award
for his startling spell. Five of the top six Kochi batsmen were removed
by the six feet five inches tall Delhi pacer.
When asked what inspired him to make such an
outstanding come back, the right arm medium pacer said, "It's not about
inspiration. When we were sitting in the dressing room, we thought 130
is a good total. When RP's first ball hit the gloves
(of Sunny Sohal), we thought we won't mind bowling first on this
track".
The triumphant Deccan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, of Sri Lanka,
expressed satisfaction over the total posted by his batsmen and said
that they were confident of defending that run-a-ball run rate. He
praised the new-ball duo of Dale Steyn
and Ishant Sharma
for containing the opposition batsmen right from the start of their
innings, as Kochi were reeling at 11 for six inside four overs.
The Deccan skipper also hailed team coach, Darren Lehmann, for helping the players develop confidence in themselves.
"He (Lehmann) has a lot of common sense when it
comes to cricket, nothing flash, just go out there and hit your lengths.
We need to keep playing good cricket", said Sangakkara.
The skipper of Kochi, Mahela Jayawardene said that
they were well aware and of Deccan’s bowling strength. He singled out
Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma for praise for their remarkable spells.
Jayawardene was also unhappy about the way the pitch
behaved last night and said that the wicket had a bit more movement
than they were expecting.
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