Do not think too much about workload, Ishant’s advice to youngsters

Veteran advises pacers to keep bowling as much as possible to avoid breaking down

While most of his teammates boarded Saturday’s early flight to Guwahati for Delhi’s next Ranji Trophy stop, Ishant Sharma returned to Delhi on Friday night due to “a soft tissue damaged while stretching with the second new ball”.

Ishant, one of only two India pacers to have earned 100-plus Test caps, opened up on a range of issues about his career after Delhi’s sorry loss to Maharashtra in the Ranji opener. Excerpts:

Do not think too much about “workload”. That’s a term that’s come up in recent times, especially for fast bowlers. I never saw something like that during my international stint. When I started playing, my coach would give me the ball at one in the afternoon and we would go on till sunset. That’s how I could bowl long spells in the Ranji and later on for India. If you want to improve, the only thing you can do is keep bowling.

If you have made your name through domestic cricket, you should not be selective about games. Only when you have played a sizeable amount of cricket for the country can you be given the occasional break. Most pacers break down during Ranji games because they don’t go through the ideal preparation.

Bowling in the Ranji is a different ballgame altogether. If you are studying for the IAS exam, you have to study for 16 hours a day. Similarly, if you want to prepare to last a whole Ranji season and bowl 20 overs a day, you cannot prepare for it by taking breaks. Only if you are used to bowling 25 overs in the nets every day can you bowl 20 overs in a game.

I don’t really think about the future too much. I am just enjoying my cricket right now. That’s why I have played all the three formats of this domestic season. I am not putting myself under pressure of “I want to make a comeback” anywhere. I have left all these things out of my mind. As long as I am passionate about the game, I will keep enjoying cricket.

Not really! It’s not that I don’t want to go back there and play, but I have stopped chasing anything. Wherever I am playing, I will give my 100%, but will not expect to be picked in the (national) team when I do well. Like I said, I have started enjoying myself on the field and helping out youngsters whenever I can.