Ishant Sharma

ISHANT SHARMA

Full name: Ishant Sharma

Born: 2 September 1988 

Nickname: Lambu

Height: 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)

Bowling style: Right arm fast-medium

Ishant Sharma (born 2 September 1988, in Delhi, India), is a right arm fast bowler pacing around 135 km/h (85 mph). He delivered the second fastest ball ever bowled by an Indian bowler when he clocked 152.6 km/h (94.8 mph) at Adelaide against Australia on 17 February 2008. He has a high arm delivery action and is able to move the ball in both directions.

At the age of 18, Sharma was called to join the Indian squad for the tour of South Africa in 2006-07. He has earned the nickname Lambu which refers to his lean and tall build.

Ishant plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and has taken 19 wickets in four first class games, including a five wicket haul against Baroda on the opening day of a match Delhi drew after failing to bowl Baroda out on the fourth day. Ishant toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07. He has played three youth tests and six youth One Day Internationals for India, and is yet to lose a match for them

In May 2007, he was selected in the test team for the Bangladesh tour and played as a replacement for the fast bowler Munaf Patel. Ishant Sharma got a call back in the team in the 3rd Test Match during Pakistan's tour of India in December 2007 due to injury of India's frontline pacers Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, and Sreesanth. On the batting paradise pitch, Sharma toiled hard for cementing and securing his place permanently in the Indian team while picking 5 wickets during the third test in Bangalore. This performance earned him a place in India's squad for the tour of Australia.

Ishant Sharma was the discovery of the tour Down Under. He troubled some of the best Australian batsmen with his bowling. He took Australian captain Ricky Ponting's wicket three times during the series, and six times in as many Tests, making the Indian press label Ponting as Ishant's bunny. This led Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to admit that Ishant Sharma is dangerous.

On the basis of his strong performance in Australia, Ishant Sharma was lapped up for an astounding winning bid of $950,000 by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the player auction for the IPL twenty20.This was the highest amount paid for any bowler in IPL tournament.