‘If you work properly with them…’: Ishant Sharma feels these THREE bowlers are future superstars

Veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma has handpicked three seamers who will run Indian cricket in times to come. With Mohammed Shami and Siraj currently leading India’s fast-bowling department in the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant feels if youngsters, including Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh, alongside Mukesh Kumar, are properly trained, they can turn into future assets across formats.

Speaking on the YouTube podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia, Ishant said players like Umran and Arshdeep have bright futures, given they are taken care of well, and also showered praises on the latest inclusion in the Indian team – Mukesh Kumar, calling him the simplest man he has ever met.

“If you work properly with him, Umran Malik has the potential to do well for the country for a long period of time. (The other would be) Arshdeep Singh,” Ishant said.

While for the right-handed pacer Mukesh, who following his impressive consistent run in the domestic structure, earned a maiden India call-up for the upcoming West Indies  series, Ishant said like Umran and Arshdeep, Mukesh also needs correct guidance and has all the potential to become a leading bowler in times to come.

Mukesh, who played for Delhi Capitals alongside Ishant in the IPL 2023, picked up seven wickets in ten games at an economy going over ten runs per over. Backing Mukesh despite such numbers, Ishant said Mukesh bowled some tough overs during the tournament, with most of them against some of the hardest hitters of the ball in world cricket.

“Not many people know his (Mukesh Kumar) story, but I haven’t seen a man as simple as him. If you ask him to bowl a particular delivery, he will bowl only that! He needs the right guidance on the field so that when the pressure situation comes, he knows what delivery to bowl. He went for runs in IPL because he bowled the tough overs. No one sees the situation in which he bowled, or which batsman he bowled to. Everyone sees that he conceded 50 runs in 4 overs.

“When Russell is playing, and they’ve lost eight wickets, what does he have to lose? If you even fail to execute one Yorker, he will hit you for a six. No one notices these things. If he’s guided properly, he can become a very good fast bowler,” Ishant, who picked ten wickets from eight matches in IPL 2023, added.

Umran, Arshdeep in India’s ODI squad for WI series

While Mukesh is picked for Tests and ODIs, seamers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh are named only in the ODI squad. The Test squad will fly to the Caribbean Islands around July 3, with first of the two Tests beginning on July 12 in Dominica, whereas, white-ball teams will follow in the meantime.

India is playing two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.