Ishant Sharma looking forward to Australia series

Ishant Sharma has had a long but uncertain career, plagued by injuries and oscillating form since breaking onto the international scene 11 years ago.

Published : Nov 15, 2018 19:07 IST , NEW DELHI

Now 30 and a senior member of the side, Ishant Sharma is looking forward to the Australia series next month. (File Photo)
Now 30 and a senior member of the side, Ishant Sharma is looking forward to the Australia series next month. (File Photo)
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Now 30 and a senior member of the side, Ishant Sharma is looking forward to the Australia series next month. (File Photo)

Ishant Sharma has had a long but uncertain career, plagued by injuries and oscillating form since breaking onto the international scene 11 years ago. Now 30 and a senior member of the side, the fast bowler is looking forward to the Australia series next month.

“Personally, I never think of the opposition because representing the country, you won't get a second chance. I am 30 right now and will be 34 by the time the next tour comes and to be honest, I don't know if I will still be there,” Ishant said on the sidelines of the Ranji Trophy game against Himachal.

Playing his first game after suffering an ankle injury on the England tour, Ishant also fired a salvo ahead of the tour, hinting that Australia might struggle with a weakened batting. “You can say the records are like that because 60 per cent of their runs have been scored by David Warner and Steve Smith,” he said, when asked about this being possibly India's best chance to win Down Under.

READ: Ravi Shastri: Chopping and changing period is over till World Cup

He did warn, though, that there was more than just the players that made Australia a tough place to tour. “The crowd is tough on you there and even if you go out, there are so many things against you which makes it tough. But, that's fair and I don't have any problems with that. You don't expect them to be really friendly and anyone playing for the country will not give in easily, so you should be up for any challenge,” he quipped.

He also insisted that the team was not concerned about the 'poor travellers' tag. “Once you are in the field, you are the one going through the hard times and you only have the support of the squad, so we just try to take care of each other,” he said.

He did admit to being disappointed at not being part of the shorter formats. “Of course, I feel bad about it, I want to play the World Cup and all three formats, but I don't think too much. I concentrate on the format I am playing and if I worry about not playing ODIs, it can affect my performance in Tests also,” he said.

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