Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey attributes Ishant Sharma's lack of rhythm to fewer games

Mumbai: India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on Wednesday acknowledged Ishant Sharma's lack of rhythm, but attributed it to lack of games played by the fast bowler.

The 33-year-old neither featured in a single game in the second leg of the Indian Premier League nor played much Test matches. The last time Ishant took to the field, it was against England in the five-match Test series in August 2021.

Mhambrey said that playing less number of matches makes a difference.

"Ishant hasn't unfortunately played much Test cricket for a long time and didn't play in IPL or T20 World Cup and that does make a difference," Mhambrey said in the virtual press conference.

"We are working on his rhythm and we are aware of it. I am sure he needs a couple of games to get that rhythm going. He has got enough experience under his belt and it makes a huge difference to have him in the dressing room. He will be back for sure."

Ishant remained wicketless in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur. The pacer bowled only 22 overs and conceded 55 runs in the match, which was drawn after Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel stood at the crease for the Kiwis throughout the end of the mandatory overs. The game was then called off owing to bad light.

The hosts picked up Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav in the playing XI over youngsters like Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Mhambrey said that Ishant, who has over 300 Test wickets under his belt, has been mentoring the young crop of bowlers in the line-up.

"With the experience that he (Ishant) has and any opportunity for some other bowlers to spend time with him and understand the nuances of fast bowling, is of great help," Mhambrey added.

India bowling coach also heaped praises on the team for taking 19 wickets in the second innings as the pitch didn't offer much bounce.

"There's a lot of positives we can take from the last game. Obviously, we didn't win the game but I am very happy with the effort that we have put in. It wasn't easy to get 19 wickets on that track.

"It wasn't an easy wicket and we were unlucky at times with not much bounce on the wicket and couple of edges that didn't carry. Had that happened, we would have had a different result. I am extremely happy with the effort that everyone put in on that wicket," he signed off. (UNI)