Player Profile(#36)... Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MS Dhoni pronunciation (Hindi: महेन्द्र सिंह धोनी) (born July 7, 1981 in Lavali Village Almora, Uttarakhand) is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian team. Initially recognized as an extravagantly flamboyant and destructive batsman, Dhoni has come to be regarded as one of the coolest heads to captain the Indian ODI side. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08 and IDEA Cup India-Sri Lanka ODI Series of 2008, the first ever bilateral ODI series win of India in Sri Lanka and The Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 in which they beat Australia 2-0 thus letting India regain its spot at No.2 in world test rankings(fallen to No.3 after Sri lanka tour). Dhoni also recently captained the ODI team that beat England in the series 5-0.Dhoni is currently ranked the best ODI batsman in the world by the ICC. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was awarded the ODI Player of the Year award in 2008, the first Indian player to achieve this feat.

Personal life:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi Jharkhand to Pan Singh and Devaki Dev. His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra. Dhoni had long hair which he has now shortened; he cut it because he wanted to look like his favourite film star John Abraham. Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, Ranchi,Jharkahnd where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach. Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995 - 1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard.


Playing Style:


Dhoni is an aggressive right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. Dhoni is one of a number of wicket-keepers who have come through the ranks of junior and India A cricket teams to represent the national team — Parthiv Patel, Ajay Ratra and Dinesh Karthik also followed this route. Dhoni, referred to as 'Mahi' by his friends, debuted in the Bihar cricket team during the 1998/99 cricket season and was selected to represent India-A for a tour to Kenya in 2004. Along with Gautam Gambhir, Dhoni made multiple centuries against the Pakistan-A team in a tri-nation series and was selected in the Indian national team later in that year.[citation needed]

Dhoni tends to play mostly from the back foot with a pronounced bottom hand grip.He has a very fast hand speed through the ball which often results in the ball racing across the ground.From this initial stance his feets do not show much movement which sometimes results in chasing balls while not coming to the pitch of the ball or inside edging a lot of balls.

Dhoni scored 148 against Pakistan in his fifth ODI match in 2005 — then the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183* against Sri Lanka. Dhoni's success in the limited overs format secured him a place in the test team. Consistent performances in ODI cricket through the end of the 2005/06 season saw Dhoni briefly ranked as the No. 1 batsman in the ICC ODI ratings.[citation needed]

Dhoni's form dipped through 2006 as India lost matches at the ICC Champions trophy, DLF Cup, away bilateral series against West Indies and South Africa. A return to form in the home series against West Indies and SriLanka in early 2007 proved to be an inaccurate indicator of Dhoni's form as India crashed out of the first round in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Dhoni was out for a duck in both India's losses. After the World Cup, Dhoni won the Man of the series award in the bilateral ODI tournament against Bangladesh. For the tour of England, Dhoni was named the ODI team vice-captain.

As a batsman, Dhoni has shown the maturity to restrain his aggressive nature and play a responsible innings when the situation requires. Apart from traditional shots, Dhoni has two very unorthodox but effective cricket strokes. Since his entry into the Indian cricket team, Dhoni's aggressive batting style, success on the field, personality, and long hair have made him one of the most marketable cricketers in India.



Domestic career:

Junior cricket:
Dhoni was included in the Bihar U-19 squad for the 1998/99 season and scored 176 runs in 5 matches (7 innings) as the team finished fourth in the group of six and did not make it to the quarter finals. Dhoni was not picked for the East Zone U-19 squad (CK Nayudu Trophy) and Rest of India squad (MA Chidambaram Trophy and Vinoo Mankad Trophy). Bihar U-19 cricket team advanced to the finals of the 1999-2000 Cooch Behar Trophy where Dhoni made 84 to help Bihar post a total of 357. Bihar's efforts were dwarfed by Punjab U-19's 839 with Dhoni's future national squad teammate Yuvraj Singh making 358. Dhoni's contribution for the tournament included 488 runs (9 matches, 12 innings), 5 fifties, 17 catches and 7 stumpings. MS Dhoni made it to the East Zone U-19 squad for the CK Nayudu trophy but scored only 97 runs in four matches as East Zone lost all four matches and finished last in the tournament.

Bihar team:
Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in the 1999-2000 season as an eighteen year old. He made a half century in his debut match scoring 68* in the second innings against Assam cricket team. Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century against Bengal in the 2000/01 season in a losing cause. Apart from the century, his performance in the 2000/01[14] did not include another score over fifty and in 2001/02 season he scored just five fifty in each season in four Ranji matches. Dhoni's performance for the 2002/03 season in the Ranji Trophy included three half centuries in the Ranji Trophy and a couple of half-centuries in the Deodhar Trophy competition as he started winning recognition for his lower-order run contribution as well as hard hitting batting style.

In the 2003/04 season, Dhoni scored a century (128*) against Assam in the first match of the Ranji ODI trophy. He was part of the East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy for the year and contributed with 244 runs in 4 matches. In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni was picked over International cricketer Deep Dasgupta to represent East zone. He scored a fighting half century in the second innings in a losing cause.

India A team:
He was recognized for his efforts in the 2003/04 season, especially in the ODI format and was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. Against the Zimbabwe XI in Harare Sports Club, Dhoni had his best wicket-keeping effort with 7 catches and 4 stumpings in the match. In the tri-nation tournament involving Kenya, India 'A' and Pakistan 'A', Dhoni helped India 'A' chase their target of 223 against Pakistan 'A' with an half-century. Stressing on his performance, he scored back to back centuries - 120[21] and 119* against the same squad. Dhoni scored 362 runs in 7 matches (6 innings, Ave:72.40), and his performance in the series received attention from the then captain - Sourav Ganguly amongst others. However, the India 'A' team coach Sandeep Patil recommended Karthik for a place in the Indian squad as wicket-keeper/batsman.

ODI career:


The Indian team in the 2000s saw the use of Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper to ensure that the wicket-keeper spot didn't lack in batting talent. The Indian cricket establishment also saw the entry of wicket-keeper/batsmen from the junior ranks with talents like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik - both India U-19 Captains in the test squads. With Dhoni making a mark in the India-A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in 2004/05. Dhoni did not have a great start to his ODI career, getting run out for a duck on debut. In spite of an average series against Bangladesh, Dhoni was picked for the Pakistan ODI series. In the second match of the series, Dhoni in his fifth one-day international, scored 148 in Vishakapatnam off only 123 deliveries. Dhoni's 148 erased the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper, a record that he would re-write before the end of the year.

Dhoni had few batting opportunities in the first two games of the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (October-November 2005) and was promoted to No. 3 in the third ODI at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). Sri Lanka had set India a target of 299 after a Kumar Sangakkara century and in reply. India lost Tendulkar early. Dhoni was promoted to accelerate the scoring and ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India - an innings described in Wisden Almanack (2006) as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'. The innings set various records including the highest score in ODI cricket in the second innings, a record that still stands. Dhoni ended the series with the highest run aggregate (346) and was awarded the Man of the series award for his efforts. In December 2005, Dhoni was signed by BCCI to a B-grade contract, skipping the initial C-grade level due to his performance on the cricketing field.

India scored 328 in 50 overs with Dhoni contributing 68 in their first match of 2006 against Pakistan. However the team finished poorly, scoring just 43 runs in the last eight overs and lost the match due to Duckworth-Lewis method. In the third match of the series, Dhoni came in with India in a precarious situation and scored 72 runs off just 46 balls that included 13 boundaries to help India take a 2-1 lead in the series. The final match of the series had a repeat performance as Dhoni scored 77 runs off 56 balls to enable India win the series 4-1. In recognition of his consistent ODI performances, Dhoni overtook Ricky Ponting as number one in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen on April 20, 2006. His reign lasted just a week as Adam Gilchrist's performance against Bangladesh moved him to the top spot.

Two canceled series in Sri Lanka, one due to the withdrawal of South Africa from the Unitech Cup due to security concerns and the replacement 3-match ODI bilateral series against Sri Lanka washed due to rain, was India's prelude to another disappointing tournament - DLF Cup 2006-07. Dhoni scored 43 runs as the team lost twice in three games and did not qualify for the finals. India's lack of preparation showed in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy as they lost to West Indies and Australia, though Dhoni scored an half-century against West Indies. The story of the ODI series in South Africa was the same for both Dhoni and India as Dhoni scored 139 runs in 4 matches and India lost the series 4-0. From the start of the WI ODI series, Dhoni had played 16 matches, hit just two fifties and averaged 25.93. Dhoni received criticism on his wicket keeping technique from former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani.

Preparations for the 2007 Cricket World Cup improved as India recorded identical 3-1 victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka and Dhoni had averages in excess of 100 in both these series. However, India unexpectedly crashed out the World Cup after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dhoni was out for a duck in both these matches and scored 29 runs in the whole tournament. Dhoni put behind his disappointment in the World cup by scoring 91* against Bangladesh after India were left in a tight spot earlier in the run-chase. Dhoni was declared the man of the match for his performance, his fourth in ODI cricket. He was also later adjudged the man of the series after the third game of the series was washed away. Dhoni had a good Afro-Asia Cup, getting 174 runs in 3 matches at an average of 87.00, with a blitzkrieg 139 not out of 97 balls, a Man Of The Match innings, in the 3rd ODI.

Dhoni was nominated as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the series against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent India-England 7-match ODI series. Dhoni, who received a 'B' grade contract in December 2005, was awarded an 'A' grade contract in June 2007. And also he was elected as captain of Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Team for the World Twenty20 in September 2007. On 2 September 2007 Mahendra Singh Dhoni equalled his idol Adam Gilchrist's international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by catching 5 English players and stumping one. He led India to the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in South Africa with a victory over arch rivals Pakistan in an intensely fought final on 24 September 2007, and became the second Indian captain to have won a World cup in any form of cricket, after Kapil Dev.

Test career:


Following his good one-day form against Sri Lanka, Dhoni replaced Dinesh Karthik in December 2005 as the Indian Test wicket-keeper. Dhoni scored 30 runs in his debut match that was marred by rain. Dhoni came to the crease when the team was struggling at 109/5 and as wickets kept falling around him, he played an aggressive innings and was the last man dismissed. Dhoni made his maiden half-century in the second Test and his quick scoring rate (half century came off 51 balls) aided India to set a target of 436 and the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 247.

India toured Pakistan in January/February 2006 and Dhoni scored his maiden century in the second Test at Faisalabad. India were left in a tight spot as Dhoni was joined by Irfan Pathan with the team still 107 away from avoiding follow-on. Dhoni played his typical aggressive innings as he scored his maiden test century in just 93 balls after scoring his first fifty in just 34 deliveries.

Dhoni followed his maiden test century with some prosaic batting performances over the next three matches, one against Pakistan that India lost and two against England that had India holding a 1-0 lead going into the test match. Dhoni was the top scorer in India's first innings in the third test at Wankhede Stadium as his 64 aided India post a respectable 279 in reply to England's 400. However Dhoni and the Indian fielders dropped too many catches and missed many dismissal chances including a key stumping opportunity of Andrew Flintoff (14). Dhoni failed to collect the Harbhajan Singh delivery cleanly as Flintoff went on to make 36 more runs as England set a target of 313 for the home team, a target that India were never in the reckoning. A batting collapse saw the team being dismissed for 100 and Dhoni scored just 5 runs and faced criticism for his wicket-keeping lapses as well as his shot selections.

On the West Indies tour, Dhoni scored a quick and aggressive 69 in the first Test at Antigua. The rest of the series was unremarkable for Dhoni as he scored 99 runs in the remaining 6 innings but his wicket-keeping skills improved and Dhoni finished the series with 13 catches and 4 stumpings. In the test series in South Africa, Dhoni's scores of 34 and 47 were not sufficient to save the second test against the Proteas as India lost the test series 2-1, squandering the chance to build on their first ever Test victory in South Africa (achieved in the first Test match). Dhoni's bruised hands ruled him out of the third test match.


Links to more information on M.S Dhoni:

Dhoni's Official Website

Cricinfo website - Player profile

Sportstar interview

Dhoni's Exclusive Interview in 2005

Cricinfo.com Profile on M.S Dhoni



*Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.org and owners of pictures and videos used.

Player Profile(#33)... Michael Clarke (Australia)

Michael John Clarke (born 2 April 1981 in Liverpool, New South Wales) is an Australian cricketer. Nicknamed 'Pup', 'Nemo' or 'Clarkey', he is a right-handed batsman, highly-regarded fielder and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He is currently engaged to Australian model Lara Bingle. On 10 January 2007, Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph indicated that Clarke may have been involved with Bingle as early as September 2006. On 25 March 2008 it was announced that the pair are engaged after Clarke proposed in New York's Central Park.

He made his debut for New South Wales as an eighteen year old in the 1999-2000 Australian domestic season.

Clarke quickly began showing his potential, after being fast-tracked into the Australian national team, making his One Day International debut in January 2003 against England. He immediately made a name for himself on the international scene for his aggressive yet mature batting ability.

Clarke was selected to make his Test debut against India at Bangalore, October 2004, despite having a first-class average below 40. He succeeded on debut, scoring 151 and consequently helping Australia to victory, invoking comparisons to past Australian batsmen such as Doug Walters and Mark Waugh. The innings, felt Peter Roebuck, was especially notable for its aggression and freedom. "Not that the assault was reckless," he added. "Indeed the control was impressive. Clarke calculated the risks and took his brains with him down the track. Of course he need [sic] a bit of luck, was plumb in front in the nineties, but few begrudged him his hundred. And everyone except his weary foes celebrated with him and his tearful family when he reached three figures. After all, he had advanced both the match and the game."

Clarke went on to play a major part in Australia's 2-1 series victory, their first in India in over thirty years, contributing outstanding bowling figures of 6 for 9 in the final Test of the series. After this, the media dubbed him the "next captain of Australia".

On his return to Australia he made another debut century, his first home Test in Brisbane against New Zealand, becoming one of the few Test cricketers to have achieved the feat of Test centuries on both their home and away debuts.

In recognition of his performance in the 2004 calendar year, he was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2005.



Clarke's poor form during the 2005 Ashes series and his failing to score a test century for over a year saw him dropped from the Test team in late 2005. Clarke had previously remarked that one of his career aims was to never be dropped from the Test team. In early 2006, after making his first first-class double century and scoring heavily in ODIs, Clarke was recalled for the tour of South Africa. He was then picked over Andrew Symonds for the April 2006 Tests against Bangladesh. Two consecutive centuries in the second and third Ashes Tests while Shane Watson was injured helped Australia to regain the Ashes and cemented Clarke's position in the Test team.

Clarke then helped Australia retain the World Cup in 2007 in the West Indies where they did not lose a game. After Damien Martyn's retirement he was elevated to number 5 in the batting line up. He had a superb tournament making 4 fifties including a 92 and a 93* against the Netherlands and South Africa. He also made an unbeaten 60 against South Africa in the semi final to guide Australia into the final at Barbados, against Sri Lanka.

Clarke faced only 4 balls for 3 runs in the ICC World Twenty20, when Australia were knocked out by India in the semi final. Two weeks later he made 130 against India in the first of a 7 match ODI series. He did not maintain that form in the remaining 6 matches mustering up just one fifty. He opened the batting in the final 2 games after a hip injury ruled out Matthew Hayden and he made two golden ducks. In the tour-ending Twenty20 match Clarke dropped back down the order with the return of Hayden, and scored 25 not out in a heavy defeat to the current Twenty20 world champions.

On 9 November 2007, Clarke notched up his fifth Test century against Sri Lanka in a two Test series. Clarke shared a 245 run partnership with Mike Hussey at the Gabba in Brisbane, Hussey departed on 133 but Clarke went on and had a partnership with Symonds who made 53*, the pair were unbeaten when Ricky Ponting declared the innings, Clarke top scoring with 145 not out.

On 5 December 2007, Cricket Australia named Clarke as captain of Australia for their one-off Twenty20 game against New Zealand in Perth, after deciding to rest Ponting and Hayden.

On 6 January 2008, Clarke dismissed Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh and Ishant Sharma in the second last over of the day, with just 8 minutes remaining, to claim the final three wickets and win the test match for Australia (at one stage he was on a hat trick, dismissing Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh on consecutive deliveries). His innings figures were 3 for 5 in 1.5 overs. Australian captain Ricky Ponting had declared that morning, setting India a total of 333 to chase and allowing Australia arguably too little time to bowl out the visitors. Clarke's wickets ensured that Australia retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and kept their world record equalling 16 match win streak alive.

Since the retirement of Adam Gilchrist, Clarke has taken over the mantle as Ponting's vice-captain, but Clarke missed the start of Australia's 2008 tour of the West Indies following the death of Bingle's father, meaning Hussey took over as vice-captain for the start of the tour. Soon after Clarke joined up with the squad, he scored a century in the second Test in Antigua, going on to captain the side in the final two One Day Internationals, both of which were won, in the absence through injury of Ponting.

To see more info about Michael Clarke visit the following links:

Cricinfo profile on Michael Clarke

HowSTAT! statistical profile on Michael Clarke





*Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.org and owners of pictures and videos used.

Player Profile(#31)...Jason Krejza (Australia)

Jason John Krejza (born January 14, 1983, Sydney, Australia) is an Australian cricketer. He also plays for the Tasmanian Tigers and Leicestershire. Krejza's father was a soccer player from Czechoslovakia and his mother was born in Poland. His nickname is "Krazy".

Krejza is an all-rounder, contributing to the team mainly as a right arm off-break bowler, but also as a right handed lower-middle order batsman. He became a regular in the NSW team in 2004/05 but lost his place in 2006/07. However solid form for Sydney Grade team UTS-Balmain led to his inclusion in the NSW limited overs team towards the end of 2006. On December 21, 2006 Krejza announced that he would leave the New South Wales Blues to join the Tasmanian Tigers due to being considered 4th choice behind spinners Stuart MacGill, Nathan Hauritz and Beau Casson in the selection process.

After crossing over mid-season to Tasmania [2006-7 season], Krejza played in 2 Pura Cup games, claiming 5 wickets and scoring a disappointing 17 runs in two innings. In the Ford Ranger Cup competition, however, he made his mark, taking 8 wickets in 4 games whilst also scoring 83 runs, with a top score of 53 not out.

During the off-season, his cricketing career was placed at risk after being caught speeding and drink-driving by Hobart police. He was subsequently suspended from Tasmania's pre-season training and warned to stay away from alcohol by his team's leadership group.

His renewed dedication to cricket saw him excel in the 2007-8 season. In the Pura Cup, he played 7 games and scored 289 runs at an average of 36.12, with a high score of 63. He also took 18 wickets at 47.11. The only downside to his season was that he did not break into the one-day side, with incumbent Xavier Doherty being Tasmania's sole spin bowler in the one-day arena. He played only one game, and was named 12th man in Tasmania's competition victory against Victoria.

Before being named to Australia's A Team tour to India in August, Tyler Bedurke claimed him and then he was selected for Australia's Test tour of India. With his selection, Australian chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said, "Jason Krejza had a good season for Tasmania last year but is a selection very much for Indian conditions. The selectors felt right-arm finger spinners would perform well in India and Jason now has a chance to prove himself at the international level."

Krejza was seen as the second spinner in the squad behind Bryce McGain. However, McGain was sent home injured. Krejza was attacked by the Indian Board President's XI in a tour match, conceding 0/199 in 31 overs, and he was then excluded from the first three Tests at the expense of McGain's replacement, Cameron White. This was despite captain Ricky Ponting frequently hinting that Krejza would play and predicting that India's senior batsmen would not have the gumption to attack him.

Krejza eventually made his debut in the fourth test in Nagpur, which Australia must win in order to draw the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He came in at the expense of fast bowler Stuart Clark. Rahul Dravid became his first wicket. He went on to claim 8 wickets for 215 runs in the 1st innings. In the process, he became just the 14th Australian to take 5 or more wickets in an innings on debut and also created the unenviable world-record of conceding the most runs for any bowler on debut, while also taking most wickets in his first test match innings. It has also beaten his best first class bowling of 4 for 91. In the second innings he took a further 4 wickets for 143 runs, leaving him with figures of 12 wickets for 358 runs in his first test.

To view Jason Krejza's Cricinfo profile click HERE, also his supporters' site at www.jasonkrejza.com is a must see.





*Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.com, Cricinfo.com and the owners of pictures and videos used.

Has Australia's dominance in world cricket come to an end?

With the 2- nil series loss to India in the Border-Gavaskar series it appears the Aussie's dominance in world cricket may be coming to an end. They have had a good stronghold on the game since the mid 1990s when players like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and co came onto the scene and began strengthening their sublime mix of skill, accuracy and consistency and thus putting in elite performances for over a decade.

With these players retirements and new blood coming into the side it appears the Australian cricket is entering a rebuilding phase. While people might not think this when they start their 2 test series against New Zealand later on it will be against stronger, more experienced opposition that many people might think their dominance on the game is loosening its grip.

It is a fact of life, that people grow old and become a bit slower, more susceptible to injuries, and feel like they need to devote more time to their families, and it is upto the new team players coming into the side to hone the skills and knowledge of their predecessors to carry on their sides legacy. As every cricket fan must know, Australia has a big legacy in world cricket, and they are more than capable of fighting out of some precarious situations and newer players building upon the legacy the side has created and then build a strong legacy of their own.

Every side seems to experience their rises and falls. For instance, remember the great West Indies side of the 80s, New Zealand having a dream decade in the 80s as well (when Richard Hadlee was dominating batsman all over the world with his bowling), and even Zimbabwe before politics caused the exodus of famous players like Heath Streak, Grant and Andy Flower, Paul Strang and co. It is up to players coming into the side to strive for excellence and to carry the side through the good times and the bad.

Here is some links to the Aussie's recent results in India:

India v Australia 4th Test in Nagpur, 6-10 November 2008

Australia tour of India September to November 2008

Player Profile(#17)...Ishant Sharma(India)

"With a physique and attitude that is reminiscent of a young Javagal Srinath, Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia. Standing at 6'4", his rhythmic, high-arm action allowed him to bowl at around 135-140 kph. For one who started serious cricket at 14, his rise was rapid and he made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18. An injury to Munaf Patel provided him an opening during India's tour of Bangladesh in May 2007 but it was in Australia where he caught the attention, prompting Steve Waugh to call him the next best thing in Indian cricket. He showed he could move the ball both ways and his probing spell in the second innings in Perth, where he set-up Ricky Ponting, was the stuff of folklore. He continued to impress in the one-day series, ending as India's highest wicket-taker in the triumphant campaign."

- Siddhartha Vaidyanathan January 2008 -





Ishant Sharma (born September 2, 1988, in Delhi, India), is an Indian cricketer, more specifically a right arm fast bowler at pace around 145 km/h (90 mph). He delivered the fastest ball ever bowled by an Indian bowler when he clocked 152.6 kph (94.8mph) at Adelaide, Australia versus India on February 17, 2008. Also, in the process, he became first Indian to bowl over 150 kph. 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. However, after receiving the call and organizing travel arrangements, it was decided not to send him on the tour. He has then grabbed all the opportunities that came to his hand and succeeded in both forms of the game. He has earned the nickname Lambu, which refers to his lean but tall build, measuring 6'6" (195 cm).

Sharma 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.

Sharma 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. Over there he played for his national side in the second test where he bowled 3 overs including one maiden and conceded only five runs without taking a wicket. Later on, he was called for the tour of England in July-August 2007.

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.

Sharma was left out in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as India retained their main fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh. However, in January 2008 Sharma was called to represent India once again to replace the injured Zaheer Khan in the second test at the SCG. Sharma started the first day of the match strongly and was involved in a controversial decision from Steve Bucknor when Andrew Symonds clearly nicked the ball to keeper MS Dhoni off his bowling but was given not out. He bowled beautifully in the match, however without much luck.

Although he had little success, the management knew he bowled beautifully and retained him for the third test match at Perth. On the fourth day of the match he bowled an exceptional spell to Australian captain Ricky Ponting that resulted in his wicket and helped India claim victory. He used the pace and bounce of the WACA wicket to trouble the batsmen. In the following test played in Adelaide he picked up two wickets and impressed everyone with his bowling. He didn't bowl above 140-145 kph mark in the test matches so that he could bowl longer spells as needed in this version of the game.He clocked a highest of 197.7 km/h(131.1 mph) at the Adelaide test his highest till then.

On February 10, 2008, Sharma bagged four important wickets in the 4th ODI of CB Series against Australia. He ended up with the figures of 4/38 and claimed the man of the match award. He scalped two important wickets on February 18, 2008 versus Australia in the 7th ODI of CB series to start the riot of Australia's batting failure.

Ishant Sharma has been focusing on becoming a Fast bowler rather than Medium Pacer. He bowled a 149.5 kph delivery versus Australia in Melbourne on February 10, 2008. At that time he was just 0.2 kph short of fastest ball ever bowled by Indian. The record holder was Ashish Nehra who bowled at 149.7 kph versus Zimbabwe at World Cup 2003. However, Ishant was successful in breaking the record just a week after he got close to it, versus Australia in Melbourne on February 17, 2008. His fastest ball was 153.0 kph and he constantly clocked around that 152 kph mark.

Sharma has quite a high-arm action attacking on and around the batsman's off-stump (the corridor of uncertainty) which gives him the ability to nip the ball back in to right-handed batsman and also swing it through the air quite considerably, while extracting a great deal of bounce. Some critics have compared him to the 1980s' West Indian fast bowlers, especially the great Curtly Ambrose. He has also been compared to Indian Fast bowler Javagal Srinath.

Ishant Sharma was the discovery of the tour Down Under. He troubled all of the Australian batsmen with his bowling. This led Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to admit that Ishant Sharma is dangerous. On the basis of his recent 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 in the player auction for the IPL twenty20.This was the highest amount paid for any bowler in IPL. tournament.

Ishant won't be going to SA

Ishant scalps five as Jadhav and Kanitkar make merry

Ishant Sharma to replace injured Munaf

Click here for more info on Ishant Sharma







*Acknowledgements to Cricinfo.com, Wikipedia.com, owners of pictures/videos displayed