The upcoming South Africa tour, in all likelihood, is going to be Ishant Sharma’s last hurrah. With India’s pace department boasting of several young pacers, along with seasoned stars, the national selectors have decided to look beyond the Delhi seamer with 100-plus Tests under his belt. Ishant, along with the two other 33-year-olds in the squad, Ajnikya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, will be under the scanner during the series that starts with the Boxing Day Test at Centurion.
“Rahane’s removal as vice-captain is a clear warning signal to him. As a senior member in the side, he needs to contribute more. Same is true for Pujara also. He too has been around for a long time and now the team expects him to play those crucial knocks in big games. In case they score and have a significant impact on the series, they might be able to extend their Test careers. But in the case of Ishant, this could be it,” a top BCCI.