My bad run was a great learning experience

The 21-year-old paceman,though,made a much better start to 2010,outshining Sreesanth Ishants replacement when he had been dropped and picking up five wickets during the first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong. After finishing the opening day of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur with a four-wicket haul,Ishant believed that his horrid period last year had had a huge impact on his still-nascent career.

It was a really big challenge for me and I was desperate to perform well at that time. I had never experienced such hard times in my life before as for the first 2-3 years I was just going up and up. So it was needed I guess, said the lanky pacer.

You needed patience to get out of those times. I have realised that a cricketer has to go through those kinds of patches in his life and it has been a great learning experience for me, he added.

Helping hand

Zaheer Khan,who has also been on song in Bangladesh so far,has established a mentors role for himself as the senior bowler in the team,and Ishant insisted that his pace partner had been a great guide for him. He always keeps encouraging me regardless of whether I am bowling well or not. He has been a great help to me, he said.

But just like Gautam Gambhir,Ishant also pointed out his Delhi team mate Virender Sehwag for having played the guide to perfection. He added that Indias stand-in skipper for the first Test had played a huge role in fitting him into the final XI.

I am very thankful to Viru bhai because he had a lot to do with me playing in the first Test. I would also like to thank the management for giving me chances in the two ODIs against Sri Lanka. Even I didnt feel I deserved a place in those two games. I am really thankful for the confidence and support, he said.