Ishant finds line & strength

The country was celebrating Holi,and Wasim Akram had reached Kolkata just one day before.

The country was celebrating Holi,and Wasim Akram had reached Kolkata just one day before. However,the Pakistani legend was in no mood to cool his heels,because Ishant Sharma and his spiralling Twenty20 form was high on his agenda.

Those who witnessed Ishants first practice session under the Knight Riders bowling consultant on a sultry afternoon at the Eden Gardens have an idea why the lanky seamer has looked a different bowler in the first two IPL matches. Match figures of 1 for 31 and no wicket for 27 respectively dont speak of any great success,but from the first two matches,it has been evident that Ishant was getting his pace back,firing in the yorkers accurately and,most importantly,seemed to be enjoying himself.

Knight Rider skipper Sourav Ganguly has also shown a lot of confidence in the youngster by bringing him on at the death. Sharma has the licence to go flat out and is under no pressure to deliver everytime. The Knight Riders think-tank has allowed him to take his own time to get into the groove,while Akram is working overtime to make him a better bowler.

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Ishant was perhaps a little short on confidence when we had our first session in the nets. Technically there were no major flaws. It was just that his rhythm was not absolutely perfect and after a modest last season he was not confident enough to go full throttle. So,we worked on his run-up and delivery strides,but mainly on the mental aspects of the game. We have also discussed what should be the right place to bowl yorkers,on slower deliveries basically everything. One needs to be relaxed,especially when he is bowling at the death. He is a very good listener, Akram said.

Definitely helped

Ishant too admitted that bowling under the watchful eyes of Akram and talking with him about the finer aspects of the art is helping him growing into the job. He is great and has made a very positive impact in the dressing room. All the bowlers are reaping the benefits of his presence. As far as my bowling is concerned,I was not doing badly. Life is difficult for a fast bowler on docile Indian wickets. But then,one has to get the better of the conditions if he wants to play at the top level for a long period, he said.

Last season saw Ishants steady decline to mediocrity. He lost his ODI place and just managed to retain his Test spot. Ganguly,however,doesnt want to read too much into this.

He is only 20 and has time on his side. Its all about creating an atmosphere so that he can play freely and express himself.

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He is the future of Indian bowling for the next seven-eight years, the KKR skipper said.

Coach Dav Whatmore agrees. With Ishant,we have been working on quality rather than quantity. Akram is doing a great job. We have been working on his confidence, he said.

From Zaheer Khan to Irfan Pathan,almost every Indian quick has sought Akrams advice at some point in their careers. At a time when Pakistan cricketers were snubbed by the IPL franchises,the Ishant-Akram bonding could turn into the tournaments major impact story.