India fast bowler Ishant Sharma said on Monday that he is focused on one match at a time and not thinking far too ahead but stressed it would be great if India go and win the World Test Championship final.
Despite featuring in domestic white-ball competitions and the Indian Premier League, Ishant has been deemed a white-ball specialist. Ishant last played ODIs for India in 2016 and T20Is as early as 2013. The pacer acknowledges the fact that he is being seen as a red-ball specialist and that winning the World Test Championship final would be as special as winning the World Cup.
“There’s a lot of time for 131 (Kapil Dev’s Test mark). Right now, I am only thinking about how we can win the next test. And then the next so that we can qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. I only play one format, so the WTC is like a World Cup for me. If we reach the final and then go on to win it, it will be the same feeling as winning the ICC World Cup,” Ishant said.
India are at the 3rd spot of the World Test Championship table and need nothing less than a 2-1 win in the ongoing series against England to book a place with New Zealand in the Lord’s final.
“The sooner you forget things and move on in life, the better it is for you. This is the biggest lesson I have learned,” he added.
Responding to whether he thinks he can play till the age of 38 and emulate the likes of James Anderson, Ishant said: “Thirty-eight is difficult to say as of now. I just go one test at a time. I understand my body, what kind of training I need to do. I am looking after myself.”
With the series leveled at 1-1, India will take on England in the 3rd Test at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad from Thursday.
