Ishant Sharma, the tall and lanky pacer, got involved in another banter with Australia captain Steve Smith and opener Matt Renshaw during the 5th Day of the ongoing 3rd Test Between India and Australia. However, it was nothing like the previous ‘Expression’ encounter between the three during the Bangalore Test, hell, it was even better.
Although, Ishant Sharma remained wicketless in the first innings, one shouldn’t mess with him because if you do, I don’t know who can save you. With just less than 30 minutes remaining for lunch, Matt Renshaw might have realised that after losing his wicket in a highly momentous and thrilling 29th over.
Since someone had run across the sight screen, Renshaw had pulled out just when Ishant Sharma was about to bowl his first delivery of the 29th over. Sharma Ji, in frustration, threw the ball towards the wicketkeeper, Wriddhiman Saha. If the batsman would have been any closer than he actually was to the wickets, all hell would have broken loose. However, the umpire immediately went up to Ishant Sharma and that should have been the end of story.
But No!!
What happened next was just un-F***ing believable!!
Things started getting complicated on the non-striker end with Steve Smith chirping which ignited a few heated words from the Indian bowler as he went past him. Matt Renshaw also wasn’t quiet at the striker’s end, triggering the Demon inside Sharma once again.
And then this happened!!
( Video Courtesy: BCCI )
It was a superb tactic though. Bringing a close-in fielder, Ishant Sharma forced Renshaw to think that he would be the target of a few bouncers now but Sharman bowled a full-length delivery that remained low and strikes right at the middle of his pad.
What made this a game-changing moment was the fact that Steven Smith too went cheap in the very next over, and by Lunch, the Aussies were trailing by 63 runs with the loss of all their top four batsmen.