Rohit Shrma

Name: Rohit Sharma
Born: Apr 30 , 1987, Bansod, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Age: 20 years 5 months
Team: India
Batting Style: RHS
Bowling Style: RHS
Test Debut:
ODI Debut: Ireland vs India-Jun 23, 2007
Twenty 20 Debut:
Profile:
The Mumbai player exuded his potential in the recent EurAsia tournament, where he scored two half-centuries for India A in three matches including 62 against Pakistan A.He displayed his class at No. 3 in the Under-19 2006 World Cup - barring the final, when the entire Indian line-up was blown away by rampant Pakistan fast bowlers - and displayed the key quality for that position: adaptability.
Sharma has the temperament to adapt to the role of accumulator or aggressor, depending on the game situation. He is also a more than useful off-spinner - a skill he will no doubt be looking to hone so as to have a second string in his bow. He has been awarded by his inclusion in the One-day squad for the England and Ireland tour of 2007. After India's poor performance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, selectors looked at new players to represent India at the national level. As a result, Sharma was selected for the limited-overs matches on India's tour to Ireland in 2007. He made his One-day International debut against Ireland at Belfast although he did not bat in the match.

Prior to that, Sharma had scored a breezy 48 under floodlights against Rajasthan in the final of the Ranji Trophy One-Day Tournament, which Mumbai won by 72 runs, at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Indeed, there seems to be just no stopping Sharma, whose youthful aggression and hunger for success are in keeping with the spirit of Generation Next. Considering the kind of cricket that is seen today, and the hardcore professionalism and sheer ruthlessness with which it is expected to be played in the 21st century, Sharma appears to be just the right tonic the doctors may have prescribed for Indian cricket. Surely, future belongs to players like Sharma. The ball is certainly not in Sharma's court. Rather it is in the selectors' now. It is up to them how to make the most of Sharma's exuberance and exciting talents.

The unbeaten 142 in 123 balls for West Zone against North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy in Udaipur in March 2006 brought him further into reckoning. Performances for the Indian A sides in Abu Dhabi and Australia followed leading to him being selected for the 30 member probables list for the Champions Trophy (though he didn't make the final squad) and the Challenger Trophy.
His first Ranji Trophy game for his first-class side Mumbai was in the 2006/2007 season. In his first few matches, not only did he make ordinary scores, but Mumbai, a traditional heavyweight in Indian domestic cricket, struggled mightily. It was in their match against Gujarat in December 2006 that Sharma hammered 205 in 267 balls and set the foundation for an innings victory for Mumbai. Mumbai then went on to win two more matches against Rajasthan and Maharashtra by an innings, thus making their way into the Ranji Trophy playoffs. Sharma hit a 50 in the final against Bengal and Mumbai won the tournament.
After India's poor performance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, selectors looked at new players to represent India at the national level. As a result, Sharma was selected for the limited-overs matches on India's tour to Ireland in 2007. He made his One-day International debut against Ireland at Belfast although he did not bat in the match.

On the 20th of Spetember, against hosts South Africa, he made a sesational knock of 50(not out), and his valuable performance helped knock out hosts South Africa from the 20-20 World Cup.

--------When did you start playing cricket?

I think when I was eight or nine years of age. I used to play a lot of tennis ball cricket before I began playing with the hard leather ball. I was very famous in and outside my colony as a tennis ball cricketer. I was very much in demand, too!

--------Does tennis ball cricket help in some way in improving one's game?

It helps you play your shots on the backfoot. The tennis ball bounces a lot, particularly on the cement wicket. We used to play tennis ball cricket on cement wickets on which the ball would come very fast. In fact, tennis ball cricket itself is very fast and action-packed. It helps you improve your batting, bowling and fielding. Tennis ball cricket helps in the game played with leather ball, too. Of course, I soon started playing leather ball cricket as well.

--------When did things actually begin happening in your career in terms of being noticed and nurtured properly?

I was playing against Swami Vivekananda School in the final of a club tourney. My performance enabled my team to win that game by a good margin. Interestingly, the opposite side's coach, Raju Lad, was so impressed by my performance that he asked me to join Swami Vivekananda School. I was very happy by his gesture of appreciation. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to pay the astronomical fees charged by that institute. But he was keen to have me in Swami Vivekananda School by all means. He probably convinced the authorities of my ability as a cricketer, if not as a student, and I eventually ended up studying and playing for Swami Vivekananda School. Mr Yogesh Patel, the director of the school, arranged a scholarship for my studies.

Gurunath P. Sharma (Rohit Sharma's father): "I'm very happy and humbly proud of my son Rohit, who has just begun to bring laurels, not only for his family but also for the country. I've never doubted his cricketing talents and always given him the much-needed encouragement and support. He is an extremely studious and level-headed boy. He has already played for Indian Under-17, Under-19 and India A teams. But I know he won't rest content till he makes it to Team India. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and also to improve his game a bit more. But I've no doubt that he'll do all that is required to be a better player than what he is today. The best thing about Rohit is his self-confidence which, if you observe carefully, always reflects in his approach to his batting. I'm sure success will never go to his head. It would be a very proud moment for all of us ? his family ? when he finally plays his maiden Test and One-Day International."

Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma
Full name Ishant Sharma
Born September 2, 1988, Delhi
Current age 19 years 154 days
Major teams India, Delhi, India Red, North Zone
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium


With a physique and attitude that is reminiscent of a young Javagal Srinath, Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia. Standing at 6'4", his rhythmic, high-arm action allowed him to bowl at around 135-140 kph. For one who started serious cricket at 14, his rise was rapid and he made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18. An injury to Munaf Patel provided him an opening during India's tour of Bangladesh in May 2007 but it was in Australia where he caught the attention, prompting Steve Waugh to call him the next best thing in Indian cricket. He showed he could move the ball both ways and his probing spell in the second innings in Perth, where he set-up Ricky Ponting, was the stuff of folklore. Siddhartha Vaidyanathan January 2008

Ishant Sharma (born September 2, 1988, in Delhi, India), is an Indian cricketer, more specifically a fast-medium pace bowler at pace around 140 km/h (87 mph). He has a high delivery action and is able to swing the ball in both directions. Sharma was called up to join the Indian national cricket team for the 2006–07 Test series in South Africa at the age of 18, though he did not play for his country in the series. However, after receiving the call-up and organising travel arrangements, it was decided to not send for Sharma after all. In May 2007, he was called as a replacement for fast bowler Munaf Patel, for his national side for the second test against Bangladesh, where he has bowled 3 overs so far, bowling one maiden and only conceding five runs, without taking a wicket.


Sharma plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and has taken 19 wickets in four first class games, including a five-wicket haul against Baroda on the opening day of a match Delhi drew after failing to bowl Baroda out on the fourth day. He has earned the nickname 'Lambu', which refers to his lean but tall build, measuring 6'4" (192 cm).
Sharma toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07. He has played three youth Tests and six youth One-day Internationals for India, and is yet to lose a match for them.

In May 2007 ,he was selected in the Test Cricket team for the Bangladesh tour, and then the tour of England in July- August.
During Pakistan's tour of India in December 2007, Sharma picked up 5 wickets during the third test in Bangalore.


In January 2008 Sharma was called up to the Indian side once again to replace an injured Zaheer Khan in the second test of India's series against Australia at the SCG. Sharma started the first day of the match strongly and was involved in a controversial decision from Steve Bucknor when Andrew Symonds clearly nicked the ball to keeper MS Dhoni off Sharma's bowling but was given not out. On the fourth day of the third test in Perth he bowled an exceptional spell to Australia's captain Ricky Ponting that resulted in his wicket and helped India claim victory. The following test played in adelaide on australia day he picked up two wickets. he also appeared in the twenty-twenty match vs australia scoring 3 runs but not getting a wicket.

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra Born: 29 April 1979, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, India.
Known As: Ashish Nehra
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: LeProfile:


Ashish Nehra's selection for the Asian Test Championship match against Sri Lanka at Colombo in February 1999 came as a surprise for he was then in the midst of his second first class season and had done little to suggest he was ready for the highest level. With Javagal Srinath resting a sore shin, Nehra was named to the squad and he sneaked ahead of Laxmi Ratan Shukla into the playing eleven. Still two months short of his twentieth birthday, the leftarmer trapped Marvan Atapattu leg before in his third over for his only success.
Nehra has been in sensational form in the 2000-01 first class season, grabbing 36 wickets at 12.83 in five games for Delhi in the zonal league. In the Duleep Trophy, he played a generous hand in North Zone's title triumph with 14 wickets at less than 20 apiece, including figures of 7/14 against East Zone at Guwahati. Having been named in the 25 probables for the Test series against Australia, Nehra is clearly bracing to slip back imminently into the national team.

Test Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Colombo, Asia-Test, 1998/99
ODI Debut: India v Zimbabwe at Harare, Coca-Cola Cup (Zimbabwe), 2001
ft Arm Medium Fast



Indian media salutes Nehra's six-wicket burst
27 February 2003
NEW DELHI, Feb 27 - Left-arm bowler Ashish Nehra's match-winning six for 23 against England on Wednesday has been hailed by the Indian media as one of the great one-day spells.
The lanky New Delhi bowler, who almost missed the match due to an ankle injury, bowled India to an 82-run victory over England in their World Cup Group A match to stay on course for a place in the tournament's Super Six stage.

"Nehra began the day sitting in the dressing room, waiting for his fitness test... He ended it with six wickets for 23, the third-best bowling figures in World Cup history," the Indian Express said in an article headlined: "Ashish Wednesday".

Left-armer Zaheer Khan and the experienced Javagal Srinath also contributed in a rare display of top-class pace bowling for India, traditionally known to rely on spin.

"Nehra bowled 10 inspired, lethal overs in one single spell to destroy England almost single-handed and to redefine the face of Indian cricket: roll over batsmen, the pace attack is winning matches," the Indian Express added.

Large pictures of Nehra, who had never taken more than three wickets in a one-day match before Wednesday, were splashed on all the leading dailies.

"Rarely has one seen an Indian opening attack, spearheaded by Ashish Nehra's chilling, searing spell, bowl with the kind of venom, speed, movement and accuracy as they did under floodlights at Kingsmead," said the Hindustan Times.

In an article headlined "Nehra lives a dream, England a nightmare", the paper added: "The way England played and missed, they might has well have been facing the wrath of a (Dennis) Lillee or a (Jeff) Thomson."

India now have 16 points from five matches, with an encounter against traditional rivals Pakistan on Saturday.

England, with 12 points, will have to beat world champions Australia in their last group match on Sunday to stay in the hunt for a berth in the next stage.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan
Born: 7 October 1978, Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Major Teams: Baroda, India.
Known As: Zaheer Khan
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast


Zaheer Khan who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket is one of the best current findings of Indian team. His emergence has been a revelation for Indian cricket which was badly needing a genuine quick bowler. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened people's expectations. His pace and willingness to angle the ball into the body has impressed even the best in the World. He is an aggressive wicket taking bowler and has unveiled another potent dimension of his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, where he struck Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings thus proving that he is an aggresive batter too.
The emergence of Zaheer Khan has given the Indian new ball attack a sense of well-being after a long hiatus. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened expectations. He stayed in the forefront of India's ICCKO and Champions Trophy campaigns, picking up 15 wickets, the most prized being Steve Waugh's, which showed he could unsettle the best in the business. Always presenting a composed exterior, his bursts of speed and willingness to angle the ball into the body can discompose most batsmen. In two Tests on bland subcontinent wickets, Zaheer toiled for limited success but his enthusiasm never flagged. He unveiled another potent dimension to his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, smiting Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings.

Three years with the MRF Pace Foundation moulded Zaheer into a fighting fit product, ready to pass through the turnstiles into international cricket. He was given the opportunity to train at the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide in October 1999 and toured New Zealand with the Academy boys. Having played for Mumbai at the Under-19 level, he failed to break into the city's Ranji Trophy side and sensibly decided to shift allegiances to Baroda. The impact of his Australian sojourn was evident during his maiden first-class season in 1999-2000, which yielded 35 wickets. The lad from Srirampur who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket would soon rest assured he had made the right decision.

Test Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, Only Test, 2000/01
ODI Debut: India v Kenya at Nairobi (Gymk), ICC KnockOut, 2000/01

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan

Full Name: Irfan Khan Pathan
Born: 27 October 1984, Baroda, Gujarat
Major Teams: Baroda, India
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast


Irfan Pathan Jnr - his namesake is also a left-arm seamer for Baroda - is India’s youngest pace-bowling hope. At 18, he has already established himself as part of arguably the most incisive pace trio in the country, alongside Zaheer Khan and Rakesh Patel; served consistently as spearhead of the national under-19 team; and finds himself regularly selected for the India A team. Tall, and well filled out for his age, Irfan does most of his work off the seam at a useful pace off a side-on action, and his left-handedness marks him out a natural danger to the right-hander. Like Zaheer, one of his two idols – Wasim Akram, naturally, is the other – Irfan has refined his raw ability at the Dennis Lillee-assisted MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. In another two years, this boy could be a star

Historic hat-trick for Pathan
India left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan (5-61) took a hat-trick in the first over, the first bowler to do so in the Test cricket history in first over of the third and final Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Pathan had Salman Butt caught at first slip by Rahul Dravid with a sharp outswinger, trapped captain Younis Khan LBW with a sharp inswinger and bowled Mohammad Yousuf with another big inswinger to leave Pakistan reeling on nought for three. Pathan took wickets with his fourth, fifth and sixth balls to complete the 36th hat-trick in Test cricket history.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is the only other India bowler to take a Test hat-trick, against Australia at Kolkatta in 2000-01. The 21-year-old Pathan had his victims beaten by the swing as well as seam movement extracted from the pitch. The left-armer is the 33rd bowler to record this feat in Test cricket. It is the 36th occasion that a bowler had taken three wickets off successive balls in the longer version of the game. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, Australians Hugh Trumble and Jimmy Matthews have taken two hat-tricks in Test cricket.
Irfan Pathan's hometown -- Baroda -- erupted with joy when the local lad became only the second Indian to claim a Test hat-trick on Sunday. "Pathan has really done us proud and I wish him all the best and hope he takes more and more wickets and sets greater targets and achieves more," selection committee chairman and secretary of Baroda Cricket Association Kiran More said.
Pathan's mother Shamimbanoo said that all family members, relatives and friends were very happy that he got this achievement on Pakistani soil and "as Indians we feel proud for it". She added: "Irfan has really made all Indians proud and that makes us happy." Shamimbanoo said that Irfan used to be in touch with them regularly and "we were very confident that he would get us on his own and caught us by surprise".
Mehbubkhan, Irfan's father, said that the entire family were praying to Allah that their son achieved something great which would ramain in everyone's memory forever. His sister Shagufa said: "After his failure in getting wickets in Lahore and Faislabad tests on dead pitches, we all were sure about his sucess in Karachi Test." Pathan's local coach Mehndi Shaikh said that the paceman had bowled with a lot of heart and soul and "I am very happy and glad that he showed both maturity and fire during his spell".


He has taken 5 wickets in an innings six times in Test cricket, and once in one-day internationals, against Zimbabwe in the 2005 Videocon Tri-Series. His spell in the final match against Pakistan in the 2004 tour was arguably his best performance in ODI cricket. His trademark weapon is an inswinger which darts into a right-hand batsman, and he also has the ability to reverse swing the old ball. In the ODI format, Pathan has been particularly impressive, frequently giving India early breakthroughs. He now consistently ranks in or near the top 10 of the LG ICC cricket ratings.
He is developing into an all-rounder, as part of a reallocation of responsibilities under the new Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell. Chappell has identified potential in Pathan's batting. Pathan has recently been used as both an opener and a top order batsman in late 2005 in one-day cricket, making 83 runs at more than a run a ball against Sri Lanka in a Test match. He also proved his enhanced batting skills by scoring 82 and 93 against Sri Lanka, opening the batting in the December 2005 New Delhi Test, when regular opener Virender Sehwag was hospitalised with illness. He scores primarily in front of the wicket, his main strength being his ability to drive. He has shown his batting strength against Pakistan (India's traditional rival) by hitting 90 in the second Test in Faisalabad (21-25 January, 2006).

He is developing into an all-rounder, as part of a reallocation of responsibilities under the new Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell. Chappell has identified potential in Pathan's batting. Pathan has recently been used as both an opener and a top order batsman in late 2005 in one-day cricket, making 83 runs at more than a run a ball against Sri Lanka in a Test match. He also proved his enhanced batting skills by scoring 82 and 93 against Sri Lanka, opening the batting in the December 2005 New Delhi Test, when regular opener Virender Sehwag was hospitalised with illness. He scores primarily in front of the wicket, his main strength being his ability to drive. He has shown his batting strength against Pakistan (India's traditional rival) by hitting 90 in the second Test in Faisalabad (21-25 January, 2006).








Pathan recently took a hat trick in the first over of the Karachi Test against Pakistan becoming the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. It was also the highest in terms of total averages of the batsmen dismissed (130.18: Salman Butt 34.27, Younis Khan 46.04, Mohammad Yousuf 49.86). [1] This was also the first hat trick by a paceman from India and the first hat trick for any Indian bowler in an away match.

Pathan was the inaugural winner of the ICC Emerging Player of the year award in 2004, and is being groomed as the spearhead of the Indian attack for years to come, as well as a potential captain. Following his strong performances in 2005, Pathan was promoted in December to an A-grade contract by the BCCI.

He moved to the second spot in the ICC ODI Bowling rankings but a poor performance against West Indies saw him go down to 7th in the rankings.



Irfan Pathan named Emerging Player of the Year at ICC Awards
Stephanie Beltrame September 7, 2004
Indian pace bowler Irfan Pathan was tonight named Emerging Player of the Year in front of 1000 guests at the ICC Awards at London's Alexandra Palace.
The 19-year-old claimed the award in a category featuring some of international cricket's most talented players.
The ICC Awards, presented by Hyundai in association with FICA, recognise the game's most outstanding players of the past 12 months.
Accepting his award, Pathan paid tribute to his family and friends: "My family has supported me a lot as well as my coaches, right throughout my career. Everyone has helped me and I'd like to thank them all."
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said: "On behalf of the ICC and the cricket community, we congratulate Irfan Pathan on winning the Emerging Player of the Year award. He is a highly gifted player and along with the other nominees in this category, all have very bright futures in cricket," said Mr Speed.
With 100 votes, Pathan claimed the award ahead of Pakistan's Yasir Hameed (75 votes). Australia's Michael Clarke finished in third place with 45 votes, while another Pakistan youngster, Umar Gul, rounded out the top four on 21 votes.
In the 12-month voting period (1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004), Pathan played five Test matches and 18 One-Day Internationals.
He took 16 Tests wickets at an average of 38.00 during the voting period, and 36 ODI scalps at an average of 23.19, including best figures of 4-24 against Zimbabwe in the VB Series in Australia in February.
Pathan's 36 ODI wickets was more than double the tally of any of his colleagues in the Emerging Player of the Year category, with Australia's Michael Clarke (16 wickets) the next highest wicket-taker in limited-over matches during the year.
Nominees for the Emerging Player of the Year Award must have been under 26-years-of-age at the start of the voting period (1 August 2003), and have played no more than five Test matches and/or 10 One-Day Internationals before the start of the voting period.
Voting for the Emerging Player of the Year was completed by the 50-member ICC Awards voting Academy, who cast a 3-2-1 vote (3 votes being the greater value) from the list of nominees, with the votes tallied to produce a winner.
The voting Academy included the 10 ICC Full Member captains, the Emirates Elite Panel of eight ICC Umpires, seven members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees (the eighth member did not officiate in the voting period), and a combination of 25 former legends and respected members of the media.