India vs England 2016: Amit Mishra admits to bowling poorly in Rajkot, vows to bounce back in Vizag
Having spent most of the time in the New Zealand Test series by running into the field relentlessly and serving drinks to his teammates, Amit Mishra finally got an opportunity against England at Rajkot. But, the slow surface rendered his wrist-spin impotent as the visitors made merry during both innings. Understandably, he remained unhappy with his showing in the opening match.
In a candid chat with bcci.tv, the 33-year old has promised to bounce back at a venue where he spun the Kiwis to submission with a five-wicket haul in the recently completed fifth ODI.
Looking ahead to the second Test at Vizag, Mishra admitted, “I wouldn’t say I bowled very well. It did take time for me to get my rhythm, especially since I was playing a Test after a long time. I was at the bench for two Tests in the West Indies and then sat out in the New Zealand Test series. Also, I was coming off from the ODI series so the transition from ODIs to Tests did take some time.”
He added, “The first innings didn’t go my way but I began to get my rhythm in the second innings when the pitch began to help the spinners a bit. Hopefully, I can continue with this rhythm in the next Test match if I get a chance. I do have the confidence of the fiver I took against New Zealand in Vizag and my preparations will only get better come the second Test.”
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Even though the lead spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struggled on the batting-friendly surface in Rajkot, Mishra’s inadequate fitness level as well as his sedate pace made the England batsmen even more comfortable.
He bowled more than 23 overs and conceded 98 runs for just a solitary scalp in the first innings while the second innings fetched him a couple of wickets from 13 overs when the visitors were searching for quick runs. The ease with which the left-handers played his length did not exactly instill much confidence. However, Vizag could take a completely different route if the curator’s words are anything to go by.
Hoping for more assistance from the pitch, the leg-spinner said, “We will take confidence from this Test and there were quite a few positives that we can take into the next Test. We replied well to their 500 plus (first innings) score and we played positive cricket. We will try to do well in the next match.“