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From a boy who sat at a west Delhi intersection with tears in his eyes after failing to get admitted to a recognised school 17 years ago to becoming the second India fast bowler to play 100 Tests, it has been a memorable journey for Ishant Sharma.
Back then, a lanky Ishant had just one cricket jersey which had faded to pale yellow. His primary concern was to gain admission to a recognised school from the neighbourhood one he was studying in.
The ticket was going to be neighbour Manvinder Singh "Banka", a former India Under-19 and Railways cricketer.
"One morning, he turned up at around nine while I was brushing my teeth," said Banka. "I got a bit irritated. He was a simpleton, didn't even know how to wear proper clothes or do his hair. He was wearing that faded jersey again.
"My cricketer wife Reshma Gandhi (who played for India) had this brand-new white jersey. I asked him to wear it. He looked much, much better."
Banka immediately took Ishant to Salwan Public School, where former Delhi Ranji Trophy player Bantoo Singh was the chief coach.
Those days, Ishant's family, who weren't poor, had little interest in cricket. His grandfather had arrived from Dasna, a city in Uttar Pradesh, and joined Delhi Police as constable. He later retired as inspector. His father serviced and repaired air-conditioners.
Bantoo asked Ishant to bowl for an hour at the nets. "He was well over six feet (1.8m). With that height, he was just too good," said Bantoo. "I thought the boy will scare others if I take him in the team. I took his case to the school principal. She asked for his report card."
A couple of days later, Ishant turned up with his report card. But the principal was unimpressed with his average marks. She refused to accommodate Ishant.
On his way back home with Banka, Ishant sat in a tea stall near the Siddharth Hotel intersection in west Delhi and cried. He was inconsolable. He would later get admitted to Ganga International School with the help of Rohtak Road Gymkhana coach Sharwan Kumar.
"Ishant was tall and had speed. His action was fine but the run-up was bad," said Sharwan. "He would stutter, bowl no-balls and then he would run and sometimes fall. He was erratic."
Sharwan took the help of O.P. Malhotra, the school's sports adviser, to develop Ishant's cricketing abilities. "We made him work hard on fitness and made him a consistent bowler," said Malhotra.
Ishant soon catapulted into the Delhi Under-19 team and then to the Ranji Trophy squad.
Former India wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya said: "He was quick. What impressed me was that he was getting a lot of bounce on even (the benign) Ferozeshah Kotla pitch (in Delhi). Bounce was his strongest point. Also the temperament. He would bowl many overs at the Kotla without complaining."
That habit of bowling a lot of overs has continued - even after Ishant progressed to the national team. "From 2008 till now, a lot of things have changed, but one thing that has remained unchanged is his long, long spells," said former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan. "That has been his strength throughout his career."
Ishant famously troubled Australian great Ricky Ponting with his pace during India's tour Down Under in 2008.
But he suffered injuries, took a season off from the Indian Premier League and later realised he didn't have the variations for limited overs cricket.
He then honed himself into a fine Test bowler.
"Unfortunately his length was a bit short initially, which is why he didn't get many more wickets," said Dahiya. "Later, when he started to pitch the ball further up, he started getting the rewards regularly."
A stint at English county Sussex in 2018 under former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie saw Ishant finding the right length.
The results started showing. Since the start of 2018, he has taken 76 wickets in 20 Tests at an average of 19.34.
Ishant notched up his 100th Test against England in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, when he took his 303rd Test wicket.
Only Kapil Dev, with 131 matches, has played more Tests for India as a fast bowler.
The 32-year-old now wants to help India win the inaugural World Test Championship in England in June. "There's a lot of time for 131," Ishant said on Monday. "Right now I am only thinking about how we can win the next Test (in Ahmedabad which ends on Sunday). 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 World Cup."
New Zealand have booked their spot in the final at Lord's and India can join them with a win and a draw against England in their ongoing four-Test series which is currently level at 1-1.
Indo-Asian News Service, Reuters
"His length was a bit short initially, which is why he didn't get many more wickets. Later, when he started to pitch the ball further up, he started getting the rewards regularly." - Former India wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya
