Updated Cricket News: Ishant Sharma show middle finger to fans: Reports

The present tour of the Indian team to Australia is not only a tragedy from cricketing point of view but it is also turning out to be a catastrophe as far as public manners goes.

Paceman Ishant Sharma showed his middle finger to the assembled cricket fans as he the length of with his teammates, went to do go-karting at a local club, Indian television channels reported on Monday.

Quite a few Indian cricketers, as well as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, went for go karting and were in fact messy to see a posse of TV cameras and media persons next them in hot trail.

Despite all attempt to keep the media out of bounds, they could have their pictures and videos much to the cricketers' annoyance. It apparently led to Sharma showing his middle finger to a heckling crowd which had also met there, the reports claimed.

It's the second time when an Indian cricketer has shown his middle finger at fans during the tour. Virat Kohli did so throughout the second Test at SCG and was fined 50 per cent of his match fees.

Indian team's media manager GS Walia said he was not conscious of any such incident.

"I am not aware of any such incident (Ishant showing the middle finger)", he said.

Walia also spring to the defence of Indian cricketers who are being roundly criticized for attending a go-karting session as a substitute of attending nets, saying it was a way of destressing.

"The team had also gone for a cycling session ahead of the Perth Test of 2007-08 and they finished up winning the Test", he said.

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Ishant Sharma to miss practice game but he will be fit for 1st Test

The Indian cricket team will not seek out a cover for wounded pacer Ishant Sharma as he is probable to be fit for the opening Test next to Australia next week even although he has been lined out of a three-day practice match starting on Monday.

“The doctor has advice him relax till Monday. So we would have a fresh look at him on Tuesday. But the work on him is going on and he's humanizing,” stated media executive G S Walia here this morning.

Ishant is getting better from injury in his left ankle which forced him to leave the field after bowling only 5.3 overs next to Cricket Australia Chairman's XI here on Thursday.

While the team management sounds hopeful on Ishant, it's certain he wouldn't be rotating out for the three-day game against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI.

The lanky fast bowler did come with the rest of his teammates to Manuka Oval this morning but spent the entire period either strolls at the ground or turning his arm over from a stationery location at the nets.

While words are on present to ease the uncertainties on Ishant Sharma, the sight of Zaheer Khan is certainly inspiring for the Indian team.

The left-arm paceman was all too eager to gauge and bowl for close to half an hour over two spells during the strong practice session. For a long time, he kept testing the skills of Virender Sehwag. The Delhi dasher, fresh from his record knock in one-day arena, had to summon all his attentiveness to counter Zaheer and on one time even shouted down the noise from a substantial crowd of Indian supporters who had gathered around the nets.

Zaheer is fitter and leaner and looking to last throughout an entire summer of Australia which he has never been able to do over two previous visits.

Young Abhimanyu Mithun also appears eager and inspired and rapped Sehwag a number of times on his pads. He also induces edges which seem to upset Sehwag.

Sachin Tendulkar opted for his favored method of facing throw downs but he too seem upset with the kind of attempt "throw down expert" Raghu could manage at him.

Tendulkar wanted Raghu to bowl on the off-stump and power him to either drive or leave the ball. As Raghu sent down a mixed bag of assortment, Tendulkar suddenly stopped the nets and took him to a false turf at the other side of the nets. The trick appears to work for him as the master batsmen then spent a long time at the nets.

India's fielding drill was strong this morning with players put themselves up to some sharp catching and throw sessions.

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Ishant Sharma delay his surgery to next year

Speedster Ishant Sharma will delay his ankle surgery until the termination of India's tour of Australia early next year.

Sharma was ruled out of the England-India ODI series after he continued a muscle injury to his left ankle during the third Test at Edgbaston.

"It [the tour of Australia] is a very main tour and nobody wants to miss it," Ishant told.

"So I'll get the surgery after completed the Australian tour. I am going to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where I'll stay for a week or 10 days to suffer rehab and seek a proper schedule. At the moment, I've been told to do intensification exercises.

"I have a muscle tear in my left foot, and there is also a bone impingement in my left ankle. Surgery is the only way out. But if I feel that now, my foot will be in plaster for about three months and the treatment in all could take about 6-8 months," the 22-year old bowler added.

Once called by Steve Waugh as the "next big thing in Indian cricket", Ishant spearhead India's attack in England but his team failed to live up to the opportunity after his senior bowling partner Zaheer Khan was ruled out due to an injury.

"You can't say our confidence went down. We were always in the game. But if a bowler with 10 years of knowledge isn't there, it affects the performance. We had England on the ropes in the second innings at Lord's, and if Zaheer was there and had taken a couple of wickets, the result could have been dissimilar," Sharma reflect on the power Test series.

"Bowling in different venue in different conditions teaches you a lot. In India, you know that after the initial burst, you have to wait for the third or fourth day to get amazing like reverse swing. In England, if the sun is out and there is no dampness on the track, it gets really very flat and that makes it hard to bowl on," Sharma said.

However, Ishant's decision to delay his ankle surgery is certain to raise many eyebrows particularly after what happened with Zaheer Khan on the England tour.

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Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma are ruled out of ODIs

Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma have been ruled out of the forthcoming ODI series next to England.

Sehwag suffer from labyrinth this of the left ear in July. Although his condition has better, he continues to knowledge headaches. An ENT expert, who was consult on the same, has said that he will take two more weeks to get better completely.

Sehwag has made good development since the surgery on his right shoulder. He will be continuing treatment to build up his throwing and bowling fitness.

Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma sustained a tendon injury in his left ankle during the Birmingham Test of the ongoing series. He has respond well to treatment, but will need to undergo a course of intensive therapy and training to prevent reappearance of the pain in his left ankle.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ajinkya Rahane and Varun Aaron as the replacement of the two players in the team for the T20 International and ODI series. Both players will join the squad at the first.

The one-off T20 International will be played on 31 August and the first of five ODIs on third September.

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Fletcher mourn loss of Zaheer

India coach Duncan Fletcher feel the wound to pacer Zaheer Khan cost India the opportunity of "having a very good day" in the opening Test against England at Lord's.

Khan was easily India's best bowler at Lord's on Thursday before he went to hospital for a scan on his left leg. He took both wickets as England reached 127/2 before rain ensured just over half the listed 90 overs were bowled on the first day.

"He showed he's almost certainly the bowler we miss the most," Fletcher said. "Probably, the others lacked experience. He going off was a big miss. From our point of view, I think maybe we would have been happy with three wickets. I think if he had stayed there and got three or four, we would have broken up having a very good day."

Before limping off the field halfway through the 42nd over, Khan proved penetrating and miserly, footage figures of 2-18.

He trapped Alastair Cook lbw in the morning session and then dupe England captain Andrew Strauss into a skin complaint pull that was caught by Ishant Sharma at fine leg shortly after lunch.

"He's almost certainly the one that could have got us three or four wickets, so he was quite a loss at that stage," Fletcher said.

India's other bowlers proved notably less threatening, however, and while Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh were perhaps unlucky not to claim wickets, Sharma was inconsistent and failed to pressurise batsmen.

Fletcher argues they still bowled rationally well.

"It was hard for our bowlers to get used to the swing," he said. "I still think we bowled pretty well, but they need to get their lines right."

England's Jonathan Trott lived dangerously on his way to 58 not out. Having been drop by Dravid at first slip off Harbhajan, he then edged a delivery from Khan between wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dravid.

He said: "I think they were two very hard chances," Fletcher said. "I think on another day one might have been taken, but they were very hard chances and we've seen that happen at Lord's on numerous occasions."

He also protected his players against suggestion they lacked intensity in the field.

"Not at all. I consideration those players were really up for the game," he said. "They wanted to play at Lord's and give it their best shot. Those players have just had three hard Test matches in the West Indies.

"It's not just a question of coming over here and getting used to the conditions. We've seen players play a whole Test series and move violently in the field," said Fletcher.

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Ishant Sharma well fit for third Test against Windies

Indian pace lead Ishant Sharma is set to play the final cricket Test against the West Indies starting on Wednesday in spite of carrying the after belongings of a rear-ender with team-mate Praveen Kumar on his face.

Ishant largely stand aside during the only carry out session ahead of the decisive Test at Windsor Park on Tuesday, giving rise to conjecture that he may not be fit sufficient to bowl.

That speculation was soon put to rest when Ishant sent down delivery at full speed to Rahul Dravid in the nets.

Ishant was hit below his left eye by a leap Praveen in a football session on Monday. It left a deep bruise around his eye.

Ishant carried a band-aid over his wound during the session but there is no worry on him missing out the final Test.

Meanwhile, it almost looks sure that Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli, two young Indian batsmen who have been ineffective in the two Tests, would get another conservatory in the final game.

Parthiv Patel and Subramaniam Badrinath, two options careful in place of Vijay and Kohli by expert, didn't even get to bat in the net session, put an end to all speculation on their inclusion.

Munaf Patel, who missed the first two Tests due to a prod injury, bowled at full tilt at batsmen and is almost sure to replace Abhimanyu Mithun in the playing eleven.

India is likely to go with three seamers and a spinner for the Test. India is presently leading 1-0 in the three-Test series.

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Ishant Sharma taken five-Wickets for DC Win

Deccan Chargers 129 for 7 (Sangakkara 65, Vinay 3-27) strike Kochi Tuskers 74 (Ishant 5-12, Steyn 3-16) by 55 runs

Ishant: Working with Zaheer helped :


As Ishant Sharma rediscovers himself with a five-wicket haul next to the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the paceman accredited Zaheer Khan for improvement in his bowling. Ishant took five wickets at the expenditure of just 12 runs to help Deccan Chargers score an forceful 55-run win as they bundle out Kochi side for a paltry 74.

"I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told me to keep working hard on my strength. Working with him is really wonderful for me," Ishant said after earn the Man-of-the-match award for his special spell.
Asked what stirred him to come out with that kind of presentation, Ishant said, "It's not about motivation. When we were sitting in the dressing room, we thought 130 is a good total. When RP's first ball hit the gloves (of Sunny Sohal), we thought we won't mind bowling first on this track."

Winning skipper Kumar Sangakkara said he was content with the total on the board and confident of defensive that. "Once we started batting, we thought 130-140 is a competitive score. Both Steyn and Ishant were wonderful in the first six overs," he said. Sangakkara also qualified their coach Darren Lehman for instilling self-assurance in the side.

"He has a lot of common sense when it comes to cricket, nothing flash, just go out there and hit your lengths. We need to keep playing good cricket," he said. Kochi skipper Mahela Jayawardene said they knew they have to compete with fire while batting and praised Dale Steyn and Ishant for their wonderful spells.

"I thought it was a good attempt by the bowlers. We knew they had quality bowlers upfront and we had to get throughout that spell. Ishant bowled very well truthful. The pitch had a bit more group than we expected," he said.

"It is complicated to come back when you are six for five," he added.

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