Ishant Sharma is hoping to hit the ground running – after a truncated start to his English season.

The Indian star will go into the Championship campaign with 13 overs under his belt as Sussex’s rain-affected pre-season came to an end yesterday.

The county visit Warwickshire and Leicestershire before opening their Hove programme against Gloucestershire on Friday. April 27.

Sharma will have plenty of weight on his shoulders after coming in for the first two months of the season. Sussex are without IPL duo Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer in that time.

George Garton will also miss the trip to Edgbaston as he pays the price for a lack of pre-season overs.

Sharma arrived late last week and had one net session before playing in the two-day friendly against Surrey at Hove.

But he already knows the gradients which await him as he charges in from the Cromwell Road End or the Sea End when the chance arises.

Sharma said: “From downhill you get some good bounce because you are running down the slope.

“It looks like you are bowling back of a length.

“The ground is not what I am used to. We always have a level type of ground in India, nothing like uphill and down.

“But I will soon get used to the conditions.

“In India you hardly get this sort of bounce. I rely more on the bounce and hitting the deck really hard.

“When you go abroad the ball is always moving, with the Duke’s ball, and you get bounce. That is what my bowling is all about.

“I back myself and hit the deck hard and get the rewards.

“That is what I’m looking to do now.”

Sharma is enjoying the quiet life of Hove, shopping and strolling in town without being mobbed.

But his close on two million Twitter followers will be intrigued to see how his five four-day games here improve him for the Indian national team.

He sees Zaheer Khan’s inspired return after a stint at Worcestershire in 2005 as the example to follow.

Sharma said: “Zak did well. After, he came back to the India team and was totally a different bowler after that.

“It’s something I will look to do – do well in county cricket, get used to the conditions, know how the wickets and the weather change every session.

“You need to learn all these things.

“Then you can be a different bowler and you get to know how you can take wickets.”

Having bowled nine wicketless overs as Surrey reached 189-3 on Monday, Sharma got another four from the Sea End late yesterday.

Sussex declared on 183-5 before the sides went back out for 40 minutes and Surrey were 31-1 at close.

Michael Burgess, one of the men competing for a place in the Championship batting line-up, made 52 not out off 74 balls in the Sussex innings, including six fours and two sixes.