After a long wait of 700 days, Ishant Sharma finally played in the IPL game for Delhi Capitals in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League. Initially, Delhi lost five consecutive games but then they won back-to-back matches where the veteran pacer has scalped three wickets. It was not that long ago that the Indian speedster was going through a rough patch on his way to making a comeback.
Just after landing in Bangalore to take part in the game against RCB, Ishant had a fever for three days. In a recent video of Delhi Capitals, the Delhi-based bowler spoke to his teammate, Axar Patel.
“When I got the energy to stand a little bit, I picked the food tray and came to your room and said, ‘Tereko sharam toh aati nahi, ek baar bhi phone nahi kiya. Mai jee raha hu, marr raha hu, tune mujhe ek baar poocha bhi nahi,” Ishant said.
Axar replied, “I was praying for you. My prayers worked wonders for you in the match. You won a prize worth Rs. 1 Lakh.”
“I was working hard behind the scenes. I worked on things I couldn’t give time to and improve in all these years of cricket. Technical flaws such as my wrist would fall to one side. I would get tired pretty early. I tried finding reasons behind the same. I spoke to someone about my bowling. So I used this time I had to work on these things. To improve my bowling and to get back into bowling shape,” Ishant said.
The 34-year-old pacer also gave credit to his wife for helping him off the field. “I think the support of wife and family is crucial at this point. When you’re frustrated, at least you have people around you who’ll listen to you. My wife never asked me to give up cricket when I was injured or not selected. She said, ‘Till the time your body supports you and you believe you can play at the highest level, you should.’ She is from a sports background as well and knows that playing and leaving the game are two very different things,” Ishant said.
Delhi Capitals will be locking horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday at the Sun Jaitley Stadium.