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Ishant Sharma
It is better to ask him to sit and talk, especially if you fall below the average Indian height and want to avoid neck strain. After all it is his towering personality (192 cms) that gained Ishant Sharma the nickname ‘lamboo’ from his te
am mates. His bowling speed and ability to nip the ball into the batsmen, in the recent Australian tour, tamed the critics and in the process created a fan following.
He knows he is the flavour of the season and the spotlight is on him every time he steps out of his home. But Ishant is still grappling with his newfound fame. He hasn’t learnt the art of diplomacy, but is cautious with his words. To think of it, he is barely 19 years old. So how has life changed? “Nothing has really changed. Friends and family members are still the same. Losing my privacy is one big change. I can no longer go anywhere unnoticed,” he explains.
Life indeed has changed. Sponsors and advertisers are gunning for him. He concurs, “Yes, there are offers coming my way now.” Reebok is the first one to sign him on. Ishant and Rohit Sharma will be brand ambassadors for the company’s Hexride range of running shoes.
His fitness has kept him away from the series against South Africa, and the right arm bowler is confident of returning to the game soon. “I should be fit by the third test. I am using this time to train myself for the IPL tournament,” he shares.
The astounding winning bid in the IPL player auction, of $950,000 by actor Shah Rukh Khan to get Ishant for the Kolkata team, made him the highest paid bowler in the tournament. Does the money run on his mind? Is the pressure building up? He answers super coolly. “I don’t bother about all that. I am enjoying my life, my cricket.” Is he always so chilled out? Ishant nods. “I don’t take things to my head. I am a very funny guy off the field.” When not playing, his friends are his world. Not movies, music or food. “I am never at home, always roaming out with my friends. My parents keep scolding me about it,” says the Delhi boy.
MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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