the innocence in victory

For all you rejoicing in India's rarefied and glorious achievement at Perth, please continue in your cheerful mood. However, here I will take you on a side track, to a new but yet another happiness inducing feeling.

The victory is not just a stand-alone achievement but also harbinger of better things. I am going to focus on one Individual here and this is the story of his innocence and learning. Ishant Sharma, the rookie who fought the odds, the opposition and even the umpiring in Sydney, without anything to show for it, came back stronger in Perth and was the trigger-man on the final day.

I wanted to rave on and on about him but I came across a couple of very nicely written pieces on him and I am just going to share these with you.

Peter Roebuck (yes, the one who called for Ponting's sacking) wrote after Day 2 of Perth -

"Sharma widened the breach. Already he has captured the imagination of Australian supporters. The sight of any other fellow walking out to bat in Sydney with two left-handed gloves might have provoked suspicion. But the Delhi-ite has an air of innocence that discourages murky thoughts. Presumably his cricket bag works along the same lines as his hair. Even his catching is naive and the sight of him hovering under a skier counts among the game's amusements.

"But his spirit shines like a beacon from the lighthouses he resembles. The lofty paceman began by removing the home captain with a late swinger and followed by enticing Michael Clarke to push at another demanding delivery. The heat began to take its toll on the religious stringbean and before long the Australian rally was underway."

Check out the full article here -

http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/one-puff-and-india-are-back/2008/01/17/1200419971704.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Sambit Bal, the editor of Cricinfo, waxed eloquent about Ishant after Perth in his piece One hour that shook Ponting -

"Irrespective of what has gone in this series and what lies ahead, Ishant Sharma's mesmeric spell to Ricky Ponting will remain one of the highlights of the series, and will be remembered for years to come. Cricket lovers still talk about the working-over Andrew Flintoff gave Ponting at Edgbaston but that lasted only one over. Here at the WACA, the torment continued for an hour. Harbhajan Singh has had his number for some time now but rarely has Ponting been shown up as so vulnerable for such a long period of time since he established himself as Australia's best batsman. That Ishant is 19 and playing his fourth Test only added to the drama and romance."

Full article -

http://content-gulf.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/current/story/332278.html

Still more praise for Ishant and fellow pacemen

Chloe Saltau in SMH says Tall order but quick on the rise

http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/tall-order-but-quick-on-the-rise/2008/01/19/1200620273101.html

and Greg Baum in The Age talks about a possible Aussie decline in A hint of decline as tourists master the conditions better

"In the tents and on the terraces, few gave up this match even when Australia was through to the tailenders. But in truth, it was out of Australia's reach from the fall of Ponting. He and Sharma did battle royale, but he lost it, and with it the game, the winning streak and a little of Australia's invincibility."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/cricket/a-hint-of-decline-as-tourists-master-the-conditions-better/2008/01/19/1200620280507.html