Won't expect too much from myself - Ishant

Ishant Sharma averages 73.54 in Australia, twice his overall average. He has taken 11 wickets here. He has never struck more than three times in a Test in Australia. However, it has never been about numbers with Ishant. On the last tour, a few Australian players remarked in casual conversation that Umesh Yadav's success was in part thanks to the pressure built by Ishant. Not that Umesh was sensational, but he was better of the Indian quicks.

This time around, Ishant comes as the leader of the attack, a quality he displayed well in the Lord's Test earlier in the year before breaking down and then coming back into a side that was down and out. Yet, that Lord's Test performance gives India hope. Coming back to a country whose conditions should in theory suit his style of bowling, with four almost back-to-back Tests and ordinary memories from previous trips, Ishant doesn't want any added pressure.

"You always learn from your experience," Ishant said. "Last time I learnt that…I had a lot of expectation of me. Because during the previous tour to Australia, the world came to know of me as a fast bowler from India. On the next tour, I expected a bit too much of myself. I couldn't do that well that time. This time I will try to control my feelings, keep my emotions in check. That way I will be able to perform better rather than put pressure on myself through high expectations.

"We are all in the same age group," Ishant said when asked how different it would be now that he is the most experienced member of the side outside MS Dhoni. "The average age group in our team is 26 or 27. That's a pretty good sign for the team. The thing is, I don't see myself as a role model or anyone. What I need to do first of all is, focus on my own bowling. And then whatever past experience I have of playing in Australia or wherever I have played, I will just share it with the team-mates. Whatever I have learned from those experiences, whatever I have done well. It is important to carry on with whatever we have done well."

Ishant's experiences of playing in Australia have not been great, but he seems to have embraced it more than run away from it, which is one quality no one can deny he possesses. "I think Australia is an amazing country to play cricket in," Ishant said. "It is a tough challenge for every sportsman to play against Australia. We know how they play. If you perform well against them, they love you. From my past experience you will get a hard time from the crowd as well. You have got to be prepared for this. It's going to be a mental challenge how you deal with all this, and then handle the pressure in the middle as well."

Ishant said their bowling unit was well prepared for the challenges of the series. "I shouldn't say it in the media so that he can check them out," when asked of any specific plans for Clarke, who scored a triple-century when India were here last. "But we have certain plans for each batsman. And that includes Michael Clarke too. [David] Warner is scoring runs for them, so is [Shane] Watson and Clarke. We have different plans for everyone. Plan A, Plan B. What you are going to do with the new ball and with the old ball.

"The old ball is going to be really crucial for us. How you are going to bowl with the old ball to a certain batsman. That's the time you can go for runs. It's difficult for the bowlers, when you are tired, your mind is drifting from one side to the other and how you can control these things is important."

Having said that the old ball is important, Ishant said the conditions here should suit his style of bowling, whether with the new ball or old. "Even with the old ball, when the wicket is slow, if you hit the wicket hard, you're going to get the bounce that you need," he said. "The conditions are helpful for those kind of bowlers who bang in the wicket hard and not just release the ball."