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The young spinners are looking up to Mishra to share his experience. Murugan Ashwin, when asked about coming out of the shadows of his more famous Tamil Nadu teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, said that he was focussing on making an impact for his team in the IPL
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra's favourite hunting ground is undoubtedly the Indian Premier League (IPL). The only bowler to have taken three hat-tricks in the league, Mishra will lead the spin attack for Delhi Daredevils in the 10th season of IPL. In a team which is heavily dominated by fast bowlers, Mishra holds his own as one of the most prolific wicket-takers. In IPL 2017, he will spearhead a young spin bowling unit full of variety. The Daredevils have Tamil Nadu leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin, Haryana off-spinner Jayant Yadav and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem from Jharkhand to pick from.
Mishra, who has played for Haryana in domestic cricket, has 124 IPL wickets to his credit. While he may have lost his place in the Test side, he has always been a part of the team plans in shorter formats. Mishra, in typical IPL commercial parlance, is “full value for money”.
Brushing aside the absence of players like J.P.Duminy and Quinton de Kock, Mishra defended Delhi Daredevils. “Last year, the Daredevils gave a good performance. We lost crucial matches. I think we have been doing well. It is a good team and there is full player availability. All players have arrived. In the last few days, the team has gelled well. Not only do we have good fast bowlers, we also have all-rounders. We will definitely do better this year.”
Asked whether the team was under pressure after being tagged as underachievers of IPL, Mishra replied in the negative. “It would have been great if the Daredevils won at least one season. A lot of thought has gone behind the making of this team. We have tried to fill up the lacunae in the past seasons.”
Speaking about the spin unit, Mishra said that the slow bowlers will always focus on taking wickets and not go in as stock bowlers, filling up the overs. “We have a variety of spinners here. They are all wicket-takers. Taking wickets in T20 is key. It puts pressure on opponents. We think of ourselves as wicket-taking bowlers. We are not thinking in terms of a stock bowler."
A veteran of all seasons, the leggie said that bowling to newcomers was the biggest challenge of IPL. “New players emerge every year. You might not even have seen them before. Matches are fast-paced. You will have to adapt accordingly. The biggest challenge is to react quickly.”
According to him, the key to bowling successfully in the Twenty20 format, especially for the slow bowlers, was to get wickets between the sixth and tenth overs. “It is important to control the flow of runs. Also, I look to pick a wicket or two.”
The young spinners are looking up to Mishra to share his experience. Murugan Ashwin, when asked about coming out of the shadows of his more famous Tamil Nadu teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, said that he was focussed on making an impact for his team in the IPL. “I am not thinking of it as a chance to stake claim in Indian team. I am just viewing it as a chance to make an impact for my team."
Shahbaz Nadeem looks forward to learning a few tricks of the trade from the seasoned Mishra. Clear about his role in the side, the bowler from Bokaro said, “My aim is to get wickets. If I get two in the middle overs, I have done my job. Bowling alongside Mishra, I can learn a lot."
Mishra's tried and tested mantra for Twenty20 format is very simple. "Variations, when you can alter your pace, is key to a spinner's success,” he said.
Team India off-spinner Jayant Yadav is also looking forward to his IPL stint. Having earned the confidence of Team India coach Anil Kumble, Yadav, who is from Delhi, sounded well-prepared to switch to the shortest format of the game. “You have to be really aware of batsmen, conditions and wicket. You will have to read the situation very fast."