Ishant Sharma

With a physique reminiscent of a young Javagal Srinath, tall and wiry Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia, where he moved the ball both ways at pace and delivered a searching spell to Ricky Ponting in Perth that became the stuff of cricket lore.

For one who started playing serious cricket at 14, Ishant's rise was rapid and he made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18, followed by his first Test on India's tour of Bangladesh in May 2007, but it was in Australia that he made people sit up. He impressed also in the one-day CB Series there that season, which India won and in which he was their highest wicket-taker.

He then took 15 wickets in the succesful home series against Australia in 2008, seven of them in the first Test, in Bangalore, and quickly became Zaheer Khan's deputy in India's fast-bowling line-up.

Then, mystifyingly, over the two-odd seasons that followed, Ishant lost his pace, and without it, his short-of-a-good-length deliveries lost their venom. India's selectors gave him a long rope, through and after ankle surgery in 2012, which put him out of action for months, but 70 Tests into his career, Ishant averaged an unfortunate 37 with the ball.

He did turn things around, though - almost miraculously, to the point where he averaged 23.4 in his last 35 Tests. He took nine wickets against New Zealand in Auckland in 2014, and followed it up with 7 for 74 in an India win at Lord's.

He missed the ODI World Cup of 2015 with a knee injury and his white-ball career ended in Australia the following year, but his second coming in Tests proceeded at a nice clip. Eighteen wickets in the series in England in 2018 were followed by 11 in the first three Tests in Australia, of which India won two to pick up a historic first series win in that country. Ishant filled his boots against West Indies and Bangladesh in 2019.

In the IPL, he turned out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons of the league before moving to Deccan Chargers and their successor team, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Though each of those sides won the IPL at least once in the first decade of the competition, Ishant wasn't in the team when they did. He bedded in for a longish stint with Delhi Capitals starting in 2019.