One to watch: Ishant Sharma delivered some rippers at Manuka Oval yesterday.Photo: Getty Images
THIS city has seen its share of political intrigue, and yesterday it was Indian paceman Ishant Sharma who was shrouded in a cloak and dagger mystery as baffling as some of the backroom dealings at Capital Hill.
If Mickey Arthur or Ricky Ponting, who has been dismissed by Sharma six times in eight Tests, had sent a spy to monitor the fast bowler's movements at Manuka Oval, it's likely he would have been as bewildered as he was encouraged by his agent's dossier.
With pace spearhead Zaheer Khan also under an injury cloud, Sharma, a revelation in the spiteful series four years ago, is shaping as a key bowler for India, which has never won a series in Australia.
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Sharma floors Joe Burns. Photo: Getty Images
On a day when a Chairman's XI line-up, made up largely of non-Big Bash League players, plundered 398 runs in 86 overs - with a 226-run partnership from Tom Cooper and Wes Robinson - Sharma spent nearly the entire afternoon cooling his heels under a makeshift marquee next to the players' race.
The giant quick, who has been nursing ankle problems since August, bowled just 27 balls across two spells, but it's the two stints he spent off the field that raised eyebrows.
Sharma bowled the opening over of the match before darting back to the pavilion. A Board Of Control For Cricket In India official, when asked why Sharma was not on the field, said the tourists were merely sharing the new ball.
Moments later, the official stressed the 23-year-old was not injured, pointing to Sharma's name on the team sheet as evidence.
That assessment appeared to be verified later when Sharma returned to the field to start a second spell.
But three balls into his sixth over, he headed abruptly towards the umpire and reclaimed his cap before walking off the field without discernibly favouring either leg.
Investigations by The Age as to why this had happened proved inconclusive. One theory suggested Sharma was nursing stiffness related to India's hectic travel schedule, in which the bulk of the touring team arrived in Canberra at 3am on Wednesday.
A BCCI official later said the taping on Sharma's ankle had loosened and, rather than getting it restrapped to bowl three more balls, the paceman had decided to prematurely end his day.
A report from Sharma's Test teammate and new-ball partner Khan also failed to solve the matter.
''It's just a precautionary measure,'' Khan said last night. ''I had a brief chat with him and the physio. I'm not sure about the details, but it's just a minor thing.''
Sharma injured his ankle during the third Test of India's series against England, in which it was whitewashed 4-0, and there had been reports in late August he would require an operation after this summer's tour of Australia.
But last month Sharma said the injury had healed and there was no longer a need for surgery.
When he did bowl yesterday, he proved a handful for the Chairman's XI openers, conceding only seven runs with the new ball.
He delivered a fierce bouncer that floored Joe Burns and stopped play for several minutes as medical staff treated the Queensland batsman.
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