New Delhi: Even as everyone has spoken about how both Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu have been gifted a fresh lease of life by being named in Indias stand-by list for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales, the one name that has missed all is pacer Ishant Sharma.
Just like Pant-Rayudu-Navdeep Saini, Ishant and Axar Patel are also part of the reserves named by the Indian selectors for the showpiece event. Speaking to IANS, a BCCI functionary said that the five players have been informed that they are in the stand-by list and they should be ready to take the flight if and when needed.
Interestingly, Saini will already be in England with the team to help the batsmen prepare for the tournament. “Ishant, Axar, Pant, Rayudu and Saini are aware that they have been named stand-by. The board has informed them about this and while four of them won’t be travelling with the team like Saini, they have been asked to be ready to jump onto the plane whenever needed.
“We were looking at two batsmen, two pacers and a spinner when we decided to name the stand-by players. As you are aware, this year’s format will see every team competing against every other team in the tournament and covering the bases is very important in such long format tournaments,” the functionary explained.
Coming back to Ishant, his has been a journey folklores are made of. From winning India the final of the Champions Trophy in England in 2013 to being left out of even the IPL last season, the Test pace spearhead has had a tough ride. However, the fast bowler took it in his stride, went to play county cricket and returned a matured bowler. Even in this edition of the IPL, Ishant has shown the ability to bowl a great line and length, not getting flustered by the batsman’s attempt to hit fifth gear.
