Ah well, this is not a classified by any barber or niche hairstylist. Indian cricket and world cricket at large, still needs him. Yes, even after he leaked 30 runs in an over against Australia. The world (India) may continue to go bananas against this poor soul. But a move to retain him for final 4 ODIs of the ongoing series (and across formats post this series) must be supported. For cricketing reasons? Now, that’s a borderline case. Anyway, here are reasons why Ishant should be treasured by cricket.

1) Ambassador of save ODIs campaign

For quite a few, ODI cricket is dying. And if it needs to be saved, it requires a hero and oxygen. Ishant Sharma is that individual who could add vigour and then become the ambassador of “Save ODI Cricket’ campaign. For one, he deals in fours and sixes; a perfect recipe for entertainment. It is proven that such entertainment attracts crowds. It means more in-stadia presence and higher ticket sales. All of this leads to greater revenues for cricket administrators and sponsors; something that both of them always love. So, Ishant’ would allow them to gain the monetary benefits. And considering, ‘Save ODI cricket’ is second only to ‘Save the Tiger’ campaign, it needs Ishant.

2) Toe-crushers, bug off

Once upon a time in the cricket world, batsmen felt threatened by Wasim's and Waqar's yorkers. Reverse swing aside, they used to severely injure batsmen’s toes, feet and legs. Not that all the batsmen were/are meek, but Ishant Sharma’s presence comforts them. The highly improved bats, two balls and batting friendly pitches are fine. But with Ishant around, the overrated toe-crushers are non-existent. Cricket for batsmen becomes a pain-free experience.

3) Mick Lewis needs a successor

If Ishant stays on cricketing horizon, it would make Mick Lewis’s life a bit easier if not peaceful. While he played for counties and states across Australia and England, he will long be remembered for his 10 overs 113 run's spell at Johannesburg against South Africa in 2006. Ishant is yet to reach and then feel what Mick did in 2006. But his ability to concede runs would make Mick happy and relieved. After all, Mick has found his successor.

4) Evoking fear among batsmen

Having Ishant in the line-up would further help Team India by encouraging their batsmen to get bigger centuries or come up with match winning contributions more often. It would not only increase their fan following but would also create a positive impact on their batting stats. Talk about putting cats among the pigeons or evoking fear among batsmen. (immaterial which side they belong to.) From now, whenever an Indian batsman scores heavily, they must thank Ishant Sharma for pushing them hard to score so many runs. In Ishant that inspires.

5) For the sake of hashtag

With Tendulkar retiring after his 200th Test with nothing much left to achieve, India will need another hero. What India and Ishant’s teammates will also require is a hashtag; a move over #Thistimefor10dulkar . With Ishant still short of becoming a legend, the hash tag will read #winitdespiteIshant . And yes, it will be trending.