Ishant Sharma (born 2 September 1988) is an Indian cricketer, a right-arm fast bowler who played 105 Test matches between 2007 and 2021. Only the second Indian fast bowler, after Kapil Dev, to play a hundred Tests, he took 311 Test wickets. He is remembered for a long spell to Ricky Ponting at Perth in 2008 and for bowling India to victory at Lord’s in 2014.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Ishant Sharma |
| Born | 2 September 1988, Delhi, India |
| Age | 38 |
| Role | Right-arm fast-medium bowler |
| Height | 1.93 m |
| International career | 2007–2021 |
| Test record | 311 wickets in 105 matches |
| ODI record | 115 wickets in 80 matches |
| Domestic team | Delhi |
| Spouse | Pratima Singh (m. 2016) |
| Honour | Arjuna Award (2020) |
Early Life
Sharma grew up in West Patel Nagar in Delhi, the son of an air-conditioner mechanic. Tall and thin, he was nicknamed “Lambu”. He trained under Shravan Kumar and played for Delhi at eighteen.
Career
He made his Test debut in Bangladesh in May 2007. On the tour of Australia that winter, aged nineteen, he troubled Ricky Ponting through a spell of seven overs at Perth; when captain Anil Kumble asked if he could bowl one more, he said yes, and dismissed Ponting in it. India won the Test.
He took 16 wickets in the home series against Australia in 2008 and was man of the series. A long period of modest returns followed. At Lord’s in 2014 he took 7 for 74, bowling short at MS Dhoni‘s instruction, to give India their first Test win there in 28 years.
A season with Sussex in 2018 under the former Australian bowler Jason Gillespie improved his control. From 2018 to 2021 he averaged under 23 as part of the pace attack, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, that won India a Test series in Australia. He played his hundredth Test against England at Ahmedabad in February 2021, taking his 300th wicket in the same series. His last Test was in Kanpur in November 2021.
He has played for six IPL franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans.
Personal Life
He married the basketball player Pratima Singh, who has represented India, in December 2016.
Awards and Honours
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Ishant Sharma born?
Ishant Sharma was born on 2 September 1988 in Delhi, India and is 38 years old.
What is Ishant Sharma’s role?
Role: Right-arm fast-medium bowler.
Featured image: Ishant Sharma during an India training session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, January 2015. Photo by NAPARAZZI, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
