"I need Ishant Sharma in the nets" - Former DDCA secretary recalls Rahul Dravid's special request ahead of IND vs PAK 2007 Test

Former Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Vinod Tihara recently recalled how Rahul Dravid had asked him to send a young Ishant Sharma to train with the national side. Speaking on the YouTube podcast ‘Switch,’ released on Saturday, November 8, Tihara revealed that this opportunity came within just 12 months of Ishant featuring at the U-19 level.

He shared that Dravid had personally requested Ishant’s inclusion as a net bowler ahead of India’s first Test of the 2007 series against Pakistan. He recalled:

“Within a year, he made it big. Because six months later, there was an international match in Delhi. Rahul Dravid was the captain then. He called me and said, ‘I need Ishant Sharma in the nets, I want to see him bowl in the Indian nets.’ So, within just one year, he was playing for India. He got one opportunity, and it was his talent.”

Meanwhile, India went on to win the three-match Test series 1-0, with Ishant Sharma featuring in the Bengaluru game. The match ended in a draw, but Ishant made a strong impression by claiming a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

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“He never looked back” - Vinod Tihara shares fascinating tale of Ishant Sharma from his U-19 days

In the same interaction, Vinod Tihara also recounted an incident from an U-19 tournament when Ishant Sharma was initially left out of the Delhi squad. He, along with then-chairman Late Sunil Dev, intervened and ensured that Ishant was included for the tour, a decision that changed the course of the tall pacer’s career. He shared:

“Let me tell you about one episode of Ishant. We had to go to Himachal to play. It was an Under-19 tournament. When the selectors made the team, someone came and said, ‘Hey, that tall boy didn’t make the team.’ The way he said it made it seem like a serious matter. We spoke to five or seven people about it, and our chairman was Sunil Dev Ji.”

“Even at that time, politics used to happen, people talked here and there. But his eye was very sharp. So, Ishant got left out. I spoke to Sunil Dev Ji. I said, ‘Sir, that tall boy, I don’t even remember his full name, Ishant, they didn’t select him.’ His reaction was, ‘Who are these ill-mannered people? No way, he should go.’ The team was going by bus. Back then, travel wasn’t so formal, and registrations weren’t as strict as they are now. These days, without registration, you can’t even play,” he added.

Vinod Tihara continued:

“The next morning at 9:00 AM, the team had to leave by bus. When Ishant got the message, the manager was told, ‘Call Ishant.’ But he didn’t have a DDCA uniform. We contacted the uniform guy, “Brother, we need a dress.” He said, ‘Sir, I’ll make it overnight if the boy is good. I’ll call my employee and get it done. But where will we get a sweater made overnight? It’s very cold in Himachal.’ So Ishant was sent like that, just like that, and after that, he never looked back. That was the first time Ishant went. In the original team, he was left out. This must have been around 2007.”

Meanwhile, since making his Test debut in 2007, Ishant Sharma has represented India in 105 matches, claiming 311 wickets at an average of 32.40, including 11 five-wicket hauls.