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Ishant Sharma runs on Ubuntu
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He may not know what it is, but Ishant Sharma is running on Ubuntu. For the uninitiated, Ubuntu is a word from the African Bantu language, which stresses collective success over individual achievements. Doc Rivers, coach of the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics, famously borrowed it from Bishop Desmond Tutu and made it a dressing-room mantra that helped lead the Celtics to their17th title and first banner in 22 years.
Nothing summarised India's spirit more than Ishant, to some an unlikely hero in India's 170-run, series-leveling win against Sri Lanka in Galle. The pendulum swung throughout this Test, primarily because both sides threw away positions of strength, but the second half of the first session today sealed it India's away. And it was down to Ishant's brilliance that India regrouped collectively. Blighted by sloppy cricket during the first half of the morning, they slipped from an overnight 200 for 4 to 269, leaving Sri Lanka 307 to take the series.
"We'll get 400," Mahela Jayawardene said yesterday when asked what total Sri Lanka would be safe chasing. "If they get 500, we'll go and get 500. That's the attitude we have got. Nothing is difficult for us."
Ishant, and India, proved him wrong. Running in hard, his lanky frame and ugly mullet betraying a proper fast-bowler's tempo, Ishant kickstarted India. Malinda Warnapura's was a basic set-up, prematurely onto the front foot, and he could not cope with a gem that pitched full and deviated. First strike to India in Ishant's opening over. Zaheer Khan took a cue and bowled another beauty to dismiss Michael Vandort.
Having primarily bowled full in search of swing in the first innings, and in his opening over today, Ishant switched to a back-of-a-length line after that. One delivery today was right out of that over to Ricky Ponting in Perth but Jayawardene played it very well. But then, smartly, Ishant altered his length and offered Jayawardene some room, and he cut the ball right into Rahul Dravid's lap at gully. Dravid, after spilling Vandort off the second ball of the innings, had just been removed from the slip cordon.
Two wickets in two overs from Ishant had Sri Lanka on the mat and suddenly there was a spring in his step. The pitch hadn't thrown up a single demon since the opening session of this match but Ishant produced a hint of movement and appreciable lift. As in Perth, Ishant didn't just produce just one top over. Two consecutive overs, Ishant's fourth and fifth, were excellent. Thilan Samaraweera was worked in the channel outside off stump by five lifting deliveries, and was made to play at the sixth, which kicked up. Next, Vandort was beaten off repeated balls, which kicked up, straightened and deviated respectively. A spell of nine overs yielded just 12 runs.
Recalled for one over before lunch, Ishant kicked one up to Samaraweera, who very nearly edged it. The referral went in the batsman's favour, but two deliveries later, Ishant drew him into a loose drive back his way, which he spilt near his ankles, hitting the turf hard in the process. Ishant gingerly hobbled for a few moments before waving medical attention back.
Then came his best spell. Regularly clocking above 135kph, Ishant breathed fire. Pace, bounce, line and length, Ishant had it all and started with a massive breakthrough. Dilshan had just pulled him for four. Ishant went back to his mark and dismissed him with a pearl. It pitched just around off stump, leaped up, and Dilshan could only nick it to the wicketkeeper. Those who followed were made to hop and sway, fend and hustle. Ishant looked like getting a wicket off every ball in that spell. India cashed in and ran through the tail.
"On this pitch, to crank it (pace) up like that as a 19-year old was something special," Anil Kumble said. "To get three of the top-order wickets and on a fourth-day pitch ... everybody saw what he is capable of."
There is indeed a rhythmic method to Ishant, especially when he dons white. It is as if he switches himself on for the challenge of the five-day game © AFP
After dismissing Ponting in Perth, Ishant credited his "rhythm" for his success. There is indeed a rhythmic method to Ishant, especially when he dons white. It is as if he switches himself on for the challenge of the five-day game, which can only be good for India. He was the difference between the two sides when it came to pushing for victory and his top-order strikes were massive.
This spell was better than his spell in Perth for the fact that there was nothing in this pitch for the fast bowlers. Spinners had claimed 24 of the 30 wickets to fall before Ishant took the ball this morning, and there had been nothing to suggest a pace-bowling revival. But he proved that if any Indian fast bowler can extract something from a dead surface, it's Ishant. As he had on the most docile of tracks in Bangalore last December, when he triggered Pakistan's slide from 525 for 6 to 537, Ishant produced life hitherto unknown for three days.
Like a few of his team-mates Ishant had something to prove to his detractors. An enthralling spell on the fourth day in Perth, during which he rattled Ponting, set tongues wagging and catapulted Ishant into the public eye. But there had been little to justify the hype about afterwards. He fetched a whopping $950,000 at the IPL auction, the most for a bowler, as his performance in Australia was still fresh in memory, but he was completely lackluster in the tournament, taking just seven wickets. That worked out to a humongous $135,714.28 per wicket. Apart from the final against Sri Lanka, Ishant was rather ineffective in the Asia Cup last month.
Like Paul Collingwood's balls-of-steel hundred and Graeme Smith's emotionally sapping gem to deliver South Africa their first series win in England since 1965 yesterday, Ishant was brilliant. He was the only bowler who looked like taking a wicket and richly deserved five wickets, yet his 3 for 20 from 15 overs had helped India to a famous overseas win. This win is right up there with Kandy (2001), Headingley (2002), Adelaide (2003), Rawalpindi (2004), Johannesburg (2006), Trent Bridge (2007) and Perth (2008).
The Boston Celtics are the most successful sporting franchise ever, and this year mounted the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. For the Celtics, Ubuntu was more of a team orientated chant. Similarly for India, it's not to make any one person great, but to make the team great. Hardly anyone gave India a chance when they arrived in Galle, but they've shown immense heart to come back and level the series.
Virender Sehwag's 251 runs in the match, Gautam Gambhir's consistency to prove naysayers wrong, Harbhajan Singh's redemption - these were all important strands in a gripping Test, tied together by Ishant. He showed heart and resilience to bring India back, and if they take this forward to collective greatness in Colombo, they may just embrace Ubuntu as their chant.
Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo
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