So far on the tour,there wasnt much to write home about for Ishant Sharma. During the tour game,he bowled too many no balls while on the opening day of the Test he was unlucky that edges didnt go to fielders. Sharmas bowling didnt inspire confidence,something coach Gary Kirsten said was a worry at the end of Day One. The start of play on Tuesday was delayed by half an hour after Mondays wash out. The covers would have retained moisture on the pitch and the sun wasnt scorching. Sharma made the best of suitable conditions. He delivered nine overs before lunch that produced the most engrossing tussle between bat and ball in this Test match so far,one which Angelo Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene conceded. Sharma found the nagging line and length right from the word go. In his second ball of the day,he got one to shape away from left-hander Tharanga Paranavitana,the unbeaten centurion. MS Dhoni didnt spill the catch. It was the kind of start Sharma needed. He surprised the right-handers by moving the ball away from them regularly on a helpful morning wicket. His stock ball,the one that angles in,was also effective but it was the delivery that moved the other way which created worries for the batsmen. Sharma greeted Thilan Samaraweera with a short one,which caught him on his helmet. The leg-cutter and the bouncer,used judiciously,by the lanky pacemen proved to be effective variations. There was a spring in his step now and the run-up was smoother. The Sri Lankan batsmen would have sensed that the morning session wasnt going to be easy. His pace partner Abhimanyu Mithun too used his big inswinger well,one which moves in late. Rahul Dravid dropped a chance offered by Samaraweera. It didnt hurt much as Mithun struck two balls later when he trapped Samaraweera in front. Samaraweera didnt look comfortable after being hit on the helmet by Sharma. When the second new ball was taken in the 84th over,Sharma didnt let it go to waste. He gave Mahela Jayawardene a torrid time after he got the ball to jag around sharply. Often a late adjustment from Jayawardene stopped the ball from heading to the slips. All-rounder Angelo Matthews wasnt allowed to bat freely,often having to check his strokes after being deceived by the length. Jayawardene was beaten by away movement,but the confident appeal from the slip cordon was turned down by umpire Daryl Harper. The next ball from Sharma shaped in and trapped Jayawardene in front. VVS Laxman then took a sharp catch at second slip after Mathews succumbed to Sharmas nagging length just outside the off-stump. Sri Lanka had lost four wickets before the lunch break,three of them to the Delhi medium-pacer. Sharmas first spell of the day was as impressive as his second. His opening effort read one wicket for 15 runs in four overs and the second with the new ball got him two wickets. He didnt enjoy success after that and gave away 25 runs in another five overs as Rangana Herath and Lasith Malinga added 115 for the eighth wicket as the pacemen were let down by the frontline Indian spinners,who were mediocre and went wicketless. Galle is where Sharma took three second innings wickets to help India win their only Test in their last tour. Just a session in a day isnt the yardstick to judge the form of a bowler,and Sharma needs to be more consistent if he is to carry the pace bowling attack in this series. But the first nine overs he bowled on Day Three were his best in a while.
