Former Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma has spent close to two decades in international cricket, and in that time he has seen what it takes to keep going as a fast bowler — the long spells, the injuries, the comebacks, the need to keep pushing when the body doesn’t always agree .
With Teacher’s Day today, Ishant finds himself thinking back to three people in particular — Shravan Kumar, Jason Gillespie and Ayush Mehendiratta, who shaped him at different stages of his career and taught him lessons that went far beyond just bowling a cricket ball.
“Shravan sir taught me everything,” he says about his first coach in Delhi. “He made sure I always had that hunger and desire to be there, and that is something I’ve carried throughout. To maintain my pace, to bowl long spells at my best, all these little things I learnt from him,” Ishant adds.
If Shravan laid the foundation, then former Aussie bowler, Jason Gillespie gave Ishant the courage to trust his strengths. “He told me I could maintain my speed and still bowl full,” Ishant recalls. “That I shouldn’t be scared of pitching it up, because that’s where the wickets are. It sounds simple, but for me, it changed so much,” he adds Ishant.
In the later years, it was Ayush Mehendiratta who made the difference, someone Ishant credits with extending his career. “The training with Ayush really helped me maintain myself,” he says. “I wish I had that before, because it would have reduced my injuries, and I would learnt to manage my workload even better. But even when it came late, it made me stronger,” he adds.
For Ishant, though, what connects all his coaches is a single philosophy — to never stop grinding. “If you don’t work hard every day, you won’t get results. And if you keep working hard, the results will come, maybe not today but definitely tomorrow,” says Ishant adding that it is the same thing he tries to tell youngsters now, across age groups, because for him that is the only way to survive in cricket.
{{/usCountry}}For Ishant, though, what connects all his coaches is a single philosophy — to never stop grinding. “If you don’t work hard every day, you won’t get results. And if you keep working hard, the results will come, maybe not today but definitely tomorrow,” says Ishant adding that it is the same thing he tries to tell youngsters now, across age groups, because for him that is the only way to survive in cricket.
{{/usCountry}}He also points out another lesson he values deeply, something that all three coaches drilled into him — not to get carried away. “When you do well, don’t hype yourself. When you do badly, don’t get stuck there either. It’s just another day in the office. You move on to the next session, the next game. Keep working hard and never stop” he concludes