PS: Handle with care

Seniors in the team, and most importantly his coach also, feel Ishant has to be treated with utmost care because he has been thrust into the big league while his body is yet to gain strength needed. 8220;At present, he8217;s physically weak to be able to bear the full brunt of international cricket,8221; says coach Shravan Kumar. 8220;But you have to give it to him because he is a genuine 18- year-old. He will need two more years to get the strength that develops in an adult. He will also get wiser and will know where and when to exert. He has gained in height and that will put a lot of stress on his legs and his back. They are slightly weak at present but credit goes to him that he has never broken down with a hamstring or a back problem.8221;

Shravan though sees a reason behind this. 8220;I can say for sure he will not be injury-prone like Ashish Nehra. Generally people with longer legs tend to have these problems but Ishant has got a proportionate body,8221;

But still Ishant needs to be wrapped in cotton wool. Many feel that Ishant is talented but also plain lucky to have survived the entire season without breaking down. The slight shoulder strain that forced him out of the season-ending last two Twenty20 matches should act as a warning. Especially because Ishant, through his formative years and until very recently, has focused more on bowling and less on training. He starts the net session with rudimentary warm up routine8212; a bit of stretching and running a few laps. It was only in the last one-and-half season that he has been drilled about the necessity of regular and elaborate training sessions.

Teammate and former India pacer, Amit Bhandari, also admits that Ishant has bowled a lot through this season but says there8217;s little anyone can do about it. 8220;As a beginner in first-class cricket, everyone has to go through the grind, so did Ishant. I remember the Vijayawada match where he bowled 20 overs on the trot at the same speed. There was an instance when he played six days on the trot. Just before the Ranji game against Saurashtra, he had played two one-day matches, that are more draining, for India under-19,8221; he said.

But Bhandari says that international cricket will be taxing. 8220;In India when we bowl, the top soil comes off fast and that helps. But on Australian or English wickets it8217;s a lot harder and puts more strain on your hamstring. The demands are much more and varied,8221; he adds.

Senior Delhi player Mitthun Manhas too admits Ishant needs to get stronger and work on his legs to cope up.8220;He has a great attitude and has never said no anytime I have tossed the ball to him. A lot will depend on how he sustains himself. The next domestic season will be a testing time,8221; he says.

8220;The most important thing for him is to remain injury-free, because if he picks an injury once, then the bowler tends to save himself the next time he goes out, which results in lot of other adjustments from speed to line and length. At present he8217;s very natural and care-free, that8217;s what makes him special.8221;

That, in a nut shell, means there happens to be a 8220;handle with care8221; label on Ishant.