KOLKATA, (Reuters) – Ishant Sharma is relishing  the task of leading India’s pace attack against West Indies in  the absence of the injured Zaheer Khan, the 23-year-old paceman  said yesterday.

“It’s an honour when you see yourselves as the senior-most  bowler in the team and leading the attack. It’s difficult to  express this kind of feeling actually,” Sharma told reporters on  the eve of the second test in Kolkata.

Frontline seamer Zaheer needed surgery for ankle and  hamstring problems and has yet to make a comeback since his tour  of England was cut short due to injury.

The lanky Sharma, with 39 tests under his belt, has Umesh  Yadav, who debuted in Delhi last week, and Varun Aaron, uncapped  in tests, as his fellow pacemen.

Sharma himself suffered an ankle ligament injury in the  third test against England in Birmingham in August, which ruled  him out of the ODI series that followed. He said he had  recovered well.

“I don’t need any surgery now. I have been having treatment  at the National Cricket Academy and I have been training a lot  when I was not playing,” he said.

“I’ve been working a lot on my ankle and everything. I am  fit now and I am ready to play in Australia, and I don’t think  even after the Australia tour I will need surgery.”
India will play four tests in Australia in December and  January, followed by two Twenty20 internationals and a  tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka.

The inclusion of the young fast bowlers has significantly  increased the average speed at which the Indian pace attack  bowls and Sharma said it was pleasing for the team.

“Earlier everyone was saying that India can’t produce a fast  bowler. Now you can see that all the three fast bowlers are  bowling consistently in the 90 miles per hour (range),” he said.

“Obviously it’s a great feeling for any fast bowler in the  team.”