India went down without a fight in the first Test vs New Zealand. We were clobbered by 10 wickets and the match ended in the 1st session of the 4th Day. For a team that had won their last 7 Tests, this was a poor performance at the very least.
But there was one bright spot for the tourists in the opening game. Ishant Sharma was back in the side and he bowled with venom and heart in New Zealand's first innings. He took 5/68 as India bowled the hosts out for 348.?
He got the wickets of Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and Trent Boult and kept their lead below 200. It did not help much as India managed scores of 165 and 191 in their two years. But Ishant had done his job.?
There was a time that people were worried if he would make it in time as he was battling injury. But he proved his fitness and delivered with the ball when it mattered. He will be high on confidence going into the 2nd Test which begins on February 29.?
Truth be told, he has always been our lethal weapon in the longest format and one hopes he is around for another 4-5 years to consolidate our spot as the top nation in the rankings.?
Ishant has got back in the groove and the Kiwis will be wary when he has the ball in hand in the next game. He gave India something to cheer about in a match they will want to forget as soon as possible.?