Ishant Sharma on Arjuna honour: My wife is proud of me, she wanted me to get the award

India fast bowler Ishant Sharma said he considers the Arjuna Award as reward for his hard work over the last 13 years and that winning the sporting honour is a proud moment for him and his family.

Ishant Sharma, who was named among the 27 Arjuna Awardees as part of National Sports Awards 2020, said his wife and basketball player Pratima Singh always wanted him to win the honour.

Ishant and Deepti Sharma were the only Indian cricketers who were conferred with the Arjuna Award this year while vice-captain Rohit Sharma bagged the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour.

“When I got to know that I will receive the Arjuna award, I was happy and very proud of myself. For the last 13 years, I did a lot of hard work. It is a proud moment for me and my family. More than me, my wife is really proud of me because more than me she is the one who really thinks I should get that award (sic),” Ishant Sharma said in a video for the BCCI.

‘A proud moment for me and my family,’ @ImIshant on winning the Arjuna Award for 2020.#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/VbVdWN0qWE

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 24, 2020

Ishant Sharma made his India debut as a teenager in 2007 and has been an integral member of India’s Test side over the years. Ishant has been one of the standout bowlers for India in the longest format of the game over the last 3 years. After a county stint, Ishant raised his game and picked up 41 wickets at 21.80 in 2018 and followed it up 25 at an average of 15.56 in 2019.

Speaking about the camaraderie in the Indian fast bowling unit that is being rated as one of the best going around, Ishant said their priority is always to help the team win matches.

“The mindset of team India’s bowling is that we always think about how to win a game. That is the most important priority for us. We try to read the situation and act accordingly. Plan according to every batsman and try to execute that on the field,” he added,” Ishant said.