The face that Ishant Sharma made when he was mocking Steve Smith during the 2017 Test match at Bengaluru, will forever be etched in the mind of fans. The Indian pacer has finally spoken about the incident, revealing that he was trying to make the Australian star uncomfortable. The fast bowler had mocked Smith during the second Test of the four-match series at Bengaluru in 2017, making faces at him. It was a crucial match for India, having lost the first Test at Pune. During the match at Bengaluru, Ishant had made comical faces at the then Australian skipper Smith. It seemed Ishant Sharma trying to make fun of Smith's quirky mannerisms while batting.
Ishant's antics also left skipper Virat Kohli in splits and he was seen laughing while stationed at the slip-cordon.
"It was a close game, people tend to do things when swayed by emotions, you do anything to upset the batsman, whatever I could do to upset him, I did that. Smith upsets the bowlers a lot, we know if we dismissed him, then we could go on to win the match," Ishant told opening batsman Mayank Agarwal on "Open Nets with Mayank" on bcci.tv.
"I was just trying to upset him and was thinking how to do it, I was just trying to get him out of his comfort zone. I was trying to make him uncomfortable," he added.
The Indian pacer said that skipper Virat Kohli loves whenever any player shows aggression on the field and and as told him to do anything but not get banned.
"Virat is an aggressive captain, he loves it whenever you show aggression, he said nothing. He always says do whatever you want to but make sure you don't get banned," Ishant said.
When Mayank asked Ishant whether he will do the same to Smith when India tour Australia later this year, he replied: "I am at a stage where I am looking to enjoy my cricket, I am enjoying my cricket, I am more focused to take wickets and win the match for India."
During the 2017 series, India lost the first Test at Pune, but came back to win the second and fourth Tests to register a 2-1 series win.
In the Bengaluru Test, India were defending a modest total of 187, but managed to clinch a 75-run win.