Ishant Sharma turns 32: Pacer reveals reason behind mocking Steve Smith in 2017 series

Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma is widely regarded as one of the best fast bowlers to have ever hailed from his country. With 297 Test wickets from 97 matches, the tall pacer is currently the third best Indian fast bowler in terms of number of wickets in the longest format of the game. Apart from his wicket-taking and match-winning abilities, Ishant Sharma is also known for his on-field tussles as the cricketer has been engaged in many verbal battles with his opponents through his playing years.

The 97-Test veteran turned 32 on Wednesday, September 2. To commemorate the 32nd Ishant Sharma birthday, here is a look back at the time when the pacer himself narrated about one of his most famous sledging incidents that involved Australian batsman Steve Smith.

ICC celebrates 32nd Ishant Sharma birthday

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Ishant Sharma birthday: Pacer talks about his 2017 fight with Steve Smith

In 2017, the Australian team led by Steve Smith toured India for a four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series. During the second Test played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Ishant Sharma was seen making a hilarious face in front of on-strike batsman Steve Smith. Since then, the comical incident has been etched in the memories of many fans.

Apparently, while interacting with Vikram Sathaye on his What The Duck program later that same year, the fast bowler explained his reasons behind his mocking of the then Australian captain.

During the interaction, Ishant Sharma revealed that Steve Smith kept saying him “Well bowled, Mate!” during the course of the opening 2017 Test at Pune. According to the pacer, the batsman continued with his on-field antics in the next Test in Bengaluru as well. During the drinks break, Sharma went up to Steve Smith to ask why did he not compliment him in the same manner during the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy series back in 2014-15 in Australia.

Smith’s reply was that he was being “just trying to be nice with him”. Apparently, Ishant Sharma did not want him to be nice as he straight ahead told the then Australian captain that “we can be nice” after the game during a friendly chat amongst themselves.

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Ishant Sharma birthday: Pacer recalls his hilarious sledging incident against Steve Smith

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Ishant Sharma wickets in international cricket

The Ishant Sharma wickets column in international cricket composes of some staggering numbers. Apart from his 297 Test wickets, the pacer has also stacked up an additional 115 ODI and 8 T20I wickets. Overall, the right-arm fast bowler has taken 423 international wickets across all forms of the game.

IPL 2020: Ishant Sharma in Delhi Capitals

Ishant Sharma is now slated to represent the Delhi Capitals franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. The cricketer made his debut for the franchise back in the 2019 edition of the tournament. The IPL 2020 season is slated to commence on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Image credits: BCCI.TV