Ishant Sharma says conceding 30 runs in an over to James Faulkner was 'turning point' in career

Bad performances on the field can affect different players differently. For India cricketer Ishant Sharma, conceding 30 runs in just six balls in a match against Australia was a humbling lesson that helped him become better at dealing with failures. The pacer revealed in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo  that it took him three weeks to return back to normalcy after the One Day International (ODI) match against Australia in 2013. He said that he felt like he had “betrayed” himself and his country after the game. [caption id=“attachment_8431511” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Ishant Sharma. AP[/caption] When he was asked to pick a match in his long international cricketing career that brought a change in his approach, the fast bowler picked the Mohali ODI. He said, “The turning point of my life came in 2013. James Faulkner hit me for 30 runs in one over in an ODI in Mohali that Australia went on to win.” Ishant revealed that he didn’t speak to anyone for two-three weeks and wept on many occasions. He described those days as a nightmare and said he called his girlfriend and “cried on the phone like a child”. The seamer now considers the match as a blessing in disguise. “Sometimes you need a jolt to understand your passion. After the Faulkner incident, I went through major changes in my life,” he said. Despite putting up a handsome score of 303 for 9 wickets, India had lost the game in October of 2013. James Faulkner had won the Aussies the victory with his 64 not out in just 29 balls It was the third ODI in the series and Ishant was given the ball by captain MS Dhoni at a time when Australia needed 44 runs off 18 balls. The expensive over saw Ishant concede four sixes.