Mishra enjoying senior role in India team

Sport360 staff 20:18 22/10/2016
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  • Mishra is enjoying his new responsibility in the side.

    Despite having made his ODI debut 13 years ago, leg-spinner Amit Mishra has rarely been the premier spin bowler in any Indian squad. Having played as a reserve to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh earlier, the Haryana spinner has been playing third fiddle to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

    But with both of those two rested for the 50-over series, this is a good opportunity for Mishra to be India’s front-line spinner.

    Speaking about the role of being an elder statesman in the team, the 33-year-old mentioned that he was enjoying it, especially when it comes to giving advice to younger bowlers like Axar Patel and Jayant Yadav.

    “The experience (of helping youngsters) has been good so far. Whenever they ask me, I give them tips. Even in the game, they ask me during meetings and I try to help them as much as I can. I am really enjoying this role and I feel it is my duty to support the youngsters,” Mishra said.

    Having not played a single minute of action during Test series, Mishra picked up three wickets each of the first two ODIs and revealed how coach Anil Kumble had helped him recently.

    “Anil helps me a lot. He doesn’t talk a lot about technique but it is the mental side that he helps with a great deal. For example, I was not selected in the eleven for the Test matches but he was still there to help me. Besides, we discuss where to bowl, at what pace to bowl and the field placements against the batsmen. It is a lot of learning,” he added.

    “Even though Kumble was a bowler, he is always giving tips to batsmen especially the tail-enders who can play a crucial role in matches that go down to the wire.”

    Mishra also recognised that he played a poor shot at a crucial time in the Delhi ODI, a match which India went on to lose by six runs. He went for a big shot off part-time spinner Martin Guptill and was caught for just one with more than nine overs left and Hardik Pandya at the other end.

    “I can’t say much about my batting ability going down over the years. I had an opportunity in the last match and I played a bad shot but I thought it was required at that time.

    “We could have won the game if any of us stayed in longer. Next time, I will take my time when there is a situation like that (in Delhi) and try to prove myself,” said Mishra.

    With the series tied at 1-1, India and New Zealand face off in the third ODI at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Sunday.

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