India pacer Ishant Sharma was felicitated by President Ramnath Kovind and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the occasion of the former’s 100th Test match. In a video posted by the BCCI, the 32-year-old was seen being introduced to the dignitaries by captain Virat Kohli following which he was handed over the memento.
India vs England 3rd Test Day 1 LIVE
WATCH:
.@ImIshant was felicitated by the Honourable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind & Honourable Home Minister of India Shri Amit Shah before the start of play here in Ahmedabad.@rashtrapatibhvn @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/7elMWDa9ye— BCCI (@BCCI) February 24, 2021
From Workhorse to Leader - Charting Ishant Sharma’s Long-winded Journey to 100 Tests
Ahead of the milestone match for the pacer, skipper Virat Kohli praised his friend and teammate. Kohli opened up about his relationship with the fast bowler and went to reveal thathe wasthe person to inform a sleepy Sharma about his maiden call-up for the national team. “I have known Ishant for many years now," Kohli said in a virtual press conference. He also touched upon how the two started playing state cricket and were together from the first season onwards. “We were roommates for a long time for state cricket, in Ranji cricket circuit,"he added.
Kohli went on to add that he couldn’t be happier for Sharma and said, “Playing 100 Test matches as a fast bowler is no mean feat.Especially in the harsh sub-continent conditions it is difficult,"he further mentioned. Singing praises for his friend, the captain said that Sharma ‘persevered’ a lot and ‘he kept working hard’ and that has been ‘his essence from day one’. The skipper also said that the fast bowler could have prioritised ODI cricket, instead he focussed on the long format of the game.
Sharma, with his ability to bowl extremely fast from an awkward height, made a good impression on the selectors. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2007 and has steadily improved as he grew older. He has represented India in 99 Tests and picked 302 wickets so far. He has played in 80 ODIs picking up 115 wickets and 14 T20Is with just eight wickets.
The pacer shows no signs of hanging up his boots and continues to excel on the world stage 14 years after his Test debut.
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here