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New Delhi: The last time he was at the Roshanara Cricket Club, all was well in Ishant Sharma's world. As a spectator for the Delhi-Maharshtra Ranji Trophy match in December last year, Ishant was very much an integral component of the national team - which was in the middle of its T20 leg of the Sri Lanka series.
In-transit after a brilliant bowling performance in Nagpur against the visiting Lankans, Ishant dropped by to lend moral support to his state colleagues at the Roshanara, before flying off to Mohali for the second match. Six months of spirally downwards and hitting the rock bottom later, Ishant was back at the picturesque club in Old Delhi on Monday to pick up the pieces.
Vying his trade in a local tournament - the Omnath Sood Memorial - for his club side ONGC, Ishant showed flashes of his old self with some nippy bowling against ITC, while leading his side with a match winning performance. He was quick, accurate and deadly during his two short bursts, claiming the openers in his first spell, before returning to damage the middle-order in his second (5-1-17-3).
Watching every move like a hawk from the dressing room, ONGC coach AN Sharma believes that Ishant has successfully overhauled the first step of a long and arduous journey back to Team India.
"Ishant is bowling as well as he has done before. It may not be against international quality, but being a fast bowler is all in the mind. It will give him the confidence to return to where he belongs," says Ishant Sharma.
The coach feels that Ishant's greatest strength has been in the belief he has in his own ability. "When an international player is undergoing transition, playing in local fixtures is the answer to all problems. He has not lost any of his confidence and I believe that self-confidence is the key to performing at any stage.
"From my end I am just trying to make sure that he does not feel dejected by any of the proceedings. As long as he remains confident in his abilities, we will see a lot more of such performances," he says.
While time would have certainly have been one of the constraints for Ishant during the tightly packed international schedule, the fast bowler has plenty of it in a local fixture. AN Sharma explains. "Going back to the basics has helped Ishant. He also has plenty of time to experiment. When Ishant was bowling for India against international players, it was not easy to try something different. Here he has all the time in the world. Every international player goes through a rough patch. He is very young and has time on his side."
Prior to the ongoing tournament in the Capital, AN Sharma claims that the quick was bowling to his potential in an All-India Petroleum tournament in Mumbai last month. "Former Test players such as Wasim Jaffer were participating and Ishant held his own against them. I knew that the climb to the top had begun."
While his national side colleagues fight as a team to regain their 2007 title in the West Indies, Ishant is battling alone to regain his 2007 form at the grassroots in Roshanara.
