New Delhi: Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who hasn’t played for quite a long while now would participate in the Duleep Trophy match between India Blue and India Green which begins on Tuesday.
The lanky pacer had earlier been linked with a move to county cricket, of which compatriots Ravichandran Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara are a part of. But things couldn’t materialize into reality due to the lack of a favourable deal.
“Yes, Ishant has reached Kanpur. He will be playing for the India Blue team led by Suresh Raina. He has been way short of match practice and high time he hits the straps. It was the national selectors, who instructed him to play this particular Duleep Trophy game,” a BCCI official who did not wish to be identified told PTI.
This would also be the very first time that Ishant would be participating in a pink ball first-class match under lights.
Having not played a single competitive match since May 14 earlier this year where he turned up for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, Ishant has fallen terribly short of match practice.
He had last played a Test match for India back in March this year against Australia in Ranchi and hasn’t featured in any other competitive match for India since he is not a part of the limited overs’ setup.
Despite being selected as a member of India’s test squad in recent times, Ishant has been reduced to being the fourth-choice paceman after Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The 29-year-old has featured in 77 Test matches for India where he has scalped 218 wickets.