IPL 2021: Amit Mishra excited to play under new captain Rishabh Pant

There is certainly no doubt about the fact that leg-spin is one of the most if not the most difficult arts in cricket. It takes years of hard work and honing the skills which makes one a good leg spinner. However one of IPL’s most successful leg spinner is of the opinion that to go with hours of training, a leg spinner also needs a good captain to back him. 

Indian cricket has moved from finger spin to wrist spin and has again returned to finger spin in the last few years because of the lack of consistency from the wrist spinners. Amit Mishra is of the opinion that a good captain is paramount in the evolution of wrist spinners. 

"Any leg-spinner needs a good captain because when the bowler is under attack, you need that sort of a skipper, who would back you to the hilt and give you that requisite confidence even when you have gone for a few runs," Mishra was quoted as saying by the PTI during an exclusive interview. 

"A captain who basically understands the psyche of a leg-spinner," added Mishra. The leg spinner will be back in Delhi Capitals colours when the 14th edition of the tournament kicks off on 9th April. 

Mishra has played 68 matches for India across formats. He has been out of the national team for a considerable amount of time and especially with the emergence of bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Barring these two and Rahul Chahar, India doesn't have enough wrist spinners. Rahul Tewatia is a leggie as well but he is more of a batting all-rounder and Mishra feels the wrists spinners should share the knowledge of the art with the next generation. 

"In the past 5-6 years, we have had some good leg-spinners but we will get more quality as we get more such bowlers, who have learnt the craft, and share the knowledge of their art with the next generation.

"The passing of knowledge is very important more so for leg-spin which is an art form," said Mishra. The leggie is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League with 160 wickets under his belt just behind Lasith Malinga’s 170 wickets. 

"I am not for once saying that we don't have good leg-spinners, we have quite a few but yes what a lot of them need is guidance. Once that guidance is available, you will see a large number of them."

When asked what are the qualities that make a good wrist spinner, Mishra said, "You should know how to bowl according to situations and which particular variation suits which situation. Also, a wrist spinner, apart from being a good wicket-taking option, should also strive to be someone who can also play the restrictive role, if need be."

In an era of T20 and T10 cricket where batsmen have found new ways to come out on top, it has become pretty challenging for the bowlers to find ways to get them out and keep them under check. Mishra feels with the evolution of batsmen, the bowlers should also start trying out new variations and try applying them in matches. 

"T20 is a game where you can't afford to relax, especially in IPL, because batsmen are always looking to attack you. If you look over the years, how many variations that have come in T20 strokeplay and the bowler also needs to evolve."

Quite interestingly Mishra was the Man of the Match and Man of the Series in the last ODI series he played against New Zealand in 2016. He had bagged 15 wickets in the series and after playing two more T20I matches he could never make his return to the national side. When asked whether there is a perception about him as well being a slower through the air bowler, Mishra said that playing in the IPL for the last 13 years goes onto prove his skills and is an achievement in itself. 

"I can't stop people from drawing their own conclusions but proof of my abilities is the fact that I am playing the world's toughest T20 league for the past 13 seasons, which is an achievement in itself.

"I am still second in the list of all-time T20 wicket-takers in IPL. Isse zyada kya performance karega insaan? (What else can one do? I am a top performer in an elite league, where competition is fierce).

"My job is to perform and I have been doing that for ages now, so what people think about me hardly makes a difference.

"No point being negative or bitter as it would hardly serve any purpose. I play because I still love this game. Next year, I will again play domestic cricket if my body permits."

Amit Mishra started off his IPL career under the leadership of Virender Sehwag in 2008 plying his trade for the Delhi Daredevils now Capitals. Come 2021, the veteran leg-spinner will be playing under the leadership of Rishabh Pant who was a school kid back then. 

"I had a good relation with Virender Sehwag and similarly I share a great bond with Rishabh Pant. I am very happy that he is the captain. He has changed himself in every aspect with regards to his game, fitness and inherent nature and that shows, he has changed his game completely in 4-5 months."

The leg-spinner sustained a hand injury during the previous IPL which ruled him out of the majority of the tournament. With the 14th edition slated to start in a few days time, Mishra is looking forward to his stint with the Delhi Capitals. 

"Last season I missed out on playing the finals, something that I had waited for years. It felt good that all the teammates sent a lot of messages that they missed me. This year, I am raring to go and give my best," Mishra signed off.