Ishant's father exudes confidence about his good show in England

New Delhi, June 18 (UNI) Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma's father Vijay is confident that the upcoming England tour will be an ideal opportunity for his son to exploit the bouncy wickets there by using his swing bowling to good effect.

''I am very confident that Ishant will perform well on the bouncy pitches of England which favour swing bowling,'' Vijay told UNI today.

Ishant started his Test career on the just-concluded Bangladesh tour and became the 258th player to wear a national cap.

Though the start to his Test career was not impressive as he took only one wicket conceding 49 runs in the Mirpur Test which India won by an innings.

But Vijay is not disappointed, instead he is confident that England tour will prove to be turn-around in the 18-year-old's career.

On being asked whether he felt disappointed when Ishant was denied South Africa tour even after being selected, Vijay said, ''No we were not disappointed, even Ishant took it normally. I was very confident that my son will play for India one day.'' Six-feet-four-inch Ishant again got the selectors' nod for the England tour and his father was delighted on the opportunity.

''It was a happy moment for my family when Ishant stepped onto the feild to play for Team India.'' The young fast bowler took thirty wickets in the seven matches he played during his first Ranji stint, impressing chairman of National Selection Committee Dilip Vengsarkar and his colleagues, which gave him the opportunity to don the Team India jersey.

UNI