'Winning World Test Championship will be like winning World Cup': Ishant Sharma ahead of pink-ball Test

The tall paceman, who plays only Test cricket for India for a while now, has been one of the most improved bowlers in international cricket over the last five years.

Ishant Sharma has been one of Indian cricket's silent performers for several years now. The tall paceman, who plays only Test cricket for India for a while now, has been one of the most improved bowlers in international cricket over the last five years. He recently joined an elite list of Indian bowlers to pick 300 Test wickets and is now set to become only the second Indian paceman to play 100 Test matches after Kapil Dev.

Indian bowler Ishant Sharma during a practice session. (PTI)

If picked to play in the day and night Test in Ahmedabad, Ishant would complete a century of Test matches and he is desperate to help his team come out on top and there is a reason for that, which he revealed while speaking to the media ahead of the third Test against England.

"I only play one format, so the WTC is like a World Cup for me. If we reach the final and then go on to win it, it will be the same feeling as winning the ICC World Cup," the paceman said.

New Zealand have already qualified for the final of the World Test Championship and India can join them if they win the series 2-1 or 3-1. But a loss in either of the two remaining Tests will bring the curtains down on their chances.

Ishant said he would have loved to complete a century of Test matches in Australia but he missed the series due to an injury.

"I'd have loved to go to Australia and complete my 100 tests there but there are things that are not in your control.

"The sooner you forget things and move on in life, the better it is for you. This is the biggest lesson I have learned," he added.