Bowling with relaxed mindset has worked: Ishant Sharma

Hyderabad, May 2 (IANS):

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Ishant Sharma says that bowling with a relaxed mindset has worked for him in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I have been going in with a relaxed mindset these days which is something that has worked for me in the IPL. I have been consistent throughout the tournament. My economy rate has been close to seven which I feel is fair enough to have in this format. I am pretty happy the way I am bowling,” Sharma told IPLT20.com.

Sharma performed well Wednesday as the Sunrisers defeated Mumbai Indians at home by seven wickets. His spell was adorned with two key wickets — Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik. He also succeeded in restricting the Mumbai Indians batsmen, bowling one maiden over and giving away just 15 runs.

“I assessed the conditions and tried to execute whatever set plan we had for each batsmen. I bowled according to my strengths without thinking about the batsmen. I am pleased that we did well as a collective bowling unit. We kept things simple, without trying anything extraordinary and did our basics right,” he said.

Sharma was also ecstatic at taking Tendulkar’s wicket.

“It is a tremendous feeling to get Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket. When I started playing cricket, I never felt I would someday bowl to Tendulkar. It is a big moment for any bowler to get the wicket of one of the best batsmen in the world. I am pleased I got the wicket of the ‘God of cricket’.”

Sharma was well assisted by leg spinner Amit Mishra, who also took two wickets.

“Amit Mishra has been tremendous for us. He did a great job by keeping the Mumbai Indians batsmen silent, taking crucial wickets. I guess we bowled well in pairs and did a great job in restricting Mumbai to 129,” said Sharma.