Ishant Sharma goes through the paces

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It was 1:45pm at the JSCA Cricket International Stadium on Monday. The Australians had left the venue after a rigorous practice session and all eyes awaited the Men in Blue to come and train.

But then there were just two! Ishant Sharma and Jaidev Unadkat walked into the ground with their kits, accompanied by bowling coach Joe Dawes, while their teammates gave the session a miss.

The two bowlers - one of whom was held culprit for India's defeat in the last ODI for giving away 30 runs in an over - then practised for one-and-a-half hours under the close tutelage of Dawes.

Ishant, who disappointed with figures of 1/56, 0/70 and 1/63 in the three ODIs but has still been retained for the rest of the series, looked the man caught in the line of fire and forced to go back to the basics to improve his game.

From being dubbed "the next best thing in Indian cricket" in 2007 by none other than Steve Waugh, the lanky pacer has become the subject of grueling criticism and many a joke in the social media after his massacre by James Faulkner in the Mohali one-dayer which has one of the most bowler-friendly tracks in the series.


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Keywords: JSCA Cricket International Stadium, Men in Blue ,Ishant Sharma , Jaidev Unadkat ,coach Joe Dawes,bowlers, Steve Waugh, social media, James Faulkner , Mohali ,cricket news,sports news