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Season’s flavour
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Cricketer Ishant Sharma on his newfound fame
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Chilled out Ishant Sharma
It is better to ask him to sit and talk, especially if you’re short and want to avoid straining your neck. After all, it is his towering height (192 cm) that gained Ishant Sharma the nickname ‘lamboo’ from his team mates. His bowli
ng 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.
In the spotlight
He knows he is the flavour of the season, and understands that 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 very cautious with his words. To think of it, he is barely 19 years old. So how has life changed, is an inevitable question. “Nothing has really changed. Friends and family members are still the same. Losing my privacy is a big change. I can no longer go anywhere unnoticed,” he explains.
Brand ambassador
Life indeed has changed. Sponsors and advertisers suddenly are after this lanky speedster. 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, but the right arm bowler is confident of coming back 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 says.
The astounding winning bid in the IPL player auction of $950,000 by actor Shah Rukh Khan to get Ishant to play for the Kolkata team made him the highest paid bowler in the tournament. Is the money playing on his mind?
Is there pressure building up? He says, “I don’t bother about all that. I am enjoying life and cricket.”
Relaxed
Is he always so chilled out? Ishant nods in agreement. “I don’t take things seriously. I am relaxed off the field. When not playing, I spend most of my time with friends. My parents keep scolding me about it,” says the Delhi boy.
MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY
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