03 April,2009 01:14 PM IST | | PTI
Ishant Sharma's exploits with the ball earned him an admirer in Sir Richard Hadlee who described the beanpole Indian as a very "special bowler".
"Ishant is a top line performer in the future if not already," Hadlee said. "I was impressed when he burst on to the scene in Australia and hurried the batsmen up. Physically he is tall and imposing. He runs in hard and fast and has got a good, high action. He has skills with the ball," said the former all-rounder who is excited about what the gangling quick could do five years from now.
"He is only 20. I can imagine what he can be like in the next five years. He can be something very, very special," Hadlee said during a media interaction.
Being one of the greatest all-rounders the game has produced, Hadlee also heaped praise on South Africa's Jacques Kallis.
"Kallis has to be the best all-rounder for what he has done for South Africa. His statistics put him greater than any other all-rounder with 10,000 Test runs and over 250 wickets," said Hadlee, who vied for the best all-rounder's place with Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev in the 80s.
