Underperforming Indian pacer Ishant Sharma comes under fire from former Indian players

New Delhi: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have given a long rope to an erratic Ishant Sharma but his indifferent performances today came in for sharp criticism from former players who said it was high time the lanky paceman was dropped as he has "stopped learning".

The former players said that Ishant has now played more than 50 Tests and such a poor display from him could no longer be accepted as it was affecting the team's performance.

Former Indian seamer Madan Lal and noted fast bowling coach TA Sekar said that there are "plenty of mistakes" that need to be rectified if the Delhi speedster wants to regain form of 2007-08.

"I don't whether it is about pressure of performing or not but Ishant has stopped learning. He is not a 'baccha' (kid) anymore. He has played over 50 Test matches and he should have been a strike bowler and leader of pace attack", Madan Lal, a former India coach and national selector told PTI.

"I think it's high time that Indian team management tries out Ishwar Pandey. You have to pick bowlers, who would win games for you. Look at Mohammed Shami. When he runs in, you feel that he is going to get wickets for you. I don't get that feeling when I see Ishant bowling," he said.

25-year-old Ishant has got only 149 wickets in 53 Test matches and has a strike-rate as low as 69.7 (nearly 11.3 overs) per wicket while average runs per wicket is nearly 40 (38.81). He has only three five-wicket hauls in 53 Tests so far.

In one dayers, Ishant has got only 102 wickets from 72 ODIs with an economy rate of close to 6 run per over (5.72) and not a single five-wicket haul. In fact, he has got four wickets only four times in 72 ODIs.

Asked about what kind of problems he is having, Lal, who has also been Delhi coach and a hero of the 1983 World Cup winning sqaud, said that the gangly pacer was trying to stop runs which is not possible.