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India will struggle without Ishant: Azharuddin

Legendary batsman says hosts will find it hard work taking 20 South African wickets

Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin believes the suspension of paceman Ishant Sharma will severely weaken the India attack for the first Test against South Africa next month.

Sharma was the cornerstone of India's victory over Sri Lanka recently in the decisive third Test of the series but got himself banned from the opening match against the Proteas from November 5.

His eight-wicket haul was a key factor in the win over the Lankans, but he was also castigated by some sections of the media for letting his aggression get the better of him, which in turn forces him to miss a crucial encounter against the visiting Proteas.

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Sharma's ban came after he gave Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga a send-off following his dismissal in the final Test of the series, his second such transgression of the series. In the first Test, he had been fined 65 per cent of his match fee for similar send-offs directed at Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal.

And while he credits India's new Test skipper Virat Kohli for his new-found aggression, the paceman also appears to have learnt from his ban.

"If you want to dominate the game, you need to be aggressive, but it shouldn't be with words; it should be the approach," Sharma told The Times of India.

"An aggressive captain and the fact that he backs his players for the same do help. These days everyone is aggressive on the field, be it the bowlers or the batsmen.

"It is always a team game. India doesn't need Ishant Sharma. Ishant Sharma needs India."

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And while Ishant may be of that belief, Azharuddin suggests otherwise.

"Aggression is about scoring runs and taking wickets,” he told the Times of India. “India don't have a very good bowling attack. R Ashwin and Ishant are India's best bets to get 20 South African wickets.

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar has lost his thing. The South Africans are really good players of spin as well. Ishant's ban has made it too difficult for India to set the tone for the Test series. He is bowling so well but what's the use if he can't start the Test series?"

Sharma has continued to pick up wickets in first-class cricket, having helped his state side Delhi steamroll Vidarbha with figures of 9-47 in a Ranji Trophy match last week.

And while Sharma's overall bowling average in Test cricket of 36.51 is poor, he has shown marked improvement over the past 12 months or so, having picked up a couple of match-winning hauls.

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The first came against England at Lord's last year where he bounced out seven of the opposition batsmen in one innings to bowl the hosts out for 223 in their chase of 319.

The second performance came against Sri Lanka in that third Test where he grabbed eight before his ban.

Apart from Sharma, India could also be without the injured Mohammad Shami for the opening Test against South Africa, leaving them without two of their better Test match bowling options.

And with Ashwin having suffered a side strain in India's opening ODI defeat to South Africa, the off-spinner has also come into some doubt ahead of the Test series.