Ishant Sharma: Jasprit Bumrah has to lead way for youngsters and groom new talent

Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Pictures/AFP

India pacer Ishant Sharma on Monday said that once he hangs his boots in the longest format, it would be important for Jasprit Bumrah to take it upon himself to groom the youngsters in the side.

The four-match series between India and England currently stands level at 1-1 and now both teams will lock horns in a pink-ball Test, beginning Wednesday at the Motera Stadium. This Test will also be Ishant's 100th in the longest format of the game.

"I would not like to name one. If someone plays for India, it means he is talented and he has performed in domestic cricket and IPL. After me, if I think there can be one to play a lot of Tests for India, then it has to be Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has to lead the way for the youngsters, it would be important how he grooms the new talent. Mohammed Siraj has good control and Navdeep Saini has pace. Everyone is different, you cannot pinpoint one regarding who will play more Test matches," said Ishant during a virtual press conference on Monday.

"If you tell Saini to bowl at just one area, then you are not doing justice to his talent. Similarly, if you tell Siraj to bowl at 140, then you are not backing his strength," he added.

Bumrah has just played 18 Tests in his career so far, but the fast bowler has already become a senior figure in the side and he was seen guiding the likes of Shardul Thakur, Siraj, and Saini in the series against Australia. Ishant had missed the entire series against Australia, and the likes of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav had also gotten injured during the four-match series.

Earlier in the series against England, Ishant had become the third Indian pacer to take 300 wickets in Test cricket. Overall, he became the sixth Indian to do so. "I did not know this stat that I have taken most of my wickets against England. I just focus on the plans we have for every opposition, I like sticking to them," said Ishant.

India had achieved an emphatic 317-run win against England in the second Test of the ongoing four-match series. As a result, the series stands level at 1-1 and the Virat Kohli-led side has also reached the second spot in World Test Championship (WTC) standings.

India remains in contention to make the final of the ICC World Test Championship. The victory in Chennai on Tuesday has lifted India to the second position with 69.7 percentage points on the table but they cannot afford to lose another match as they need to win 2-1 or 3-1 to qualify for the final of the maiden edition of the championship.

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