Kumble's mental support is the biggest thing for me: Amit Mishra

Until the final ODI at Vizag, Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra had been under the cosh for his particular brand of poor bowling. He had been taken to the cleaners time and again by the New Zealand batsmen, many of whom were smashing the ball into and across the fence at will.

However, the final ODI at Vishakapatnam saw the 32-year old Amit Mishra finally get among the wickets with a rare 5-wicket haul against the Black Caps wherein he picked 5 wickets and conceded just the 18 runs in the 6 overs he bowled.

Speaking about his performance, Mishra revealed the support coach Anil Kumble had provided him with and persisting with him despite the bad performances. Kumble, who is a legendary spinner in his own right can be credited for the same.

Mishra revealed, “His (Anil Kumble’s) mental support is the biggest thing for me. I sat out for the entire Test series but he supported me mentally and told me ‘don’t worry, your time will come.’ Whenever I went in to bowl in the nets, he always gave me tips on how to improve your bowling like the seam position. He told me ‘you can improve batting also.’ He’s always there to rectify your small mistakes.”

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Mishra was quoted as saying, “At this stage of career, I have to perform. I am a wicket-taking bowler. It has become a sort of trademark that ‘Amit ayega to wicket nikalega’ (When Amit comes, a breakthrough will follow). I have stopped thinking what’s not in my hands. I can improve my fitness, batting but can’t decide on how many matches I’ve played. I’ve prepared myself mentally in such a way that whenever there’s an opportunity, I give more than 100 percent.”

He added, “I’m happy for all the hard work I’ve put in. I’ve performed well and became Man of the Series. It’s the second series where I’ve played five matches continuously. To perform well here (in the series decider), it feels great. The biggest thing was it came in the most important match of the series. Everyone contributed well – be it in batting, bowling or fielding. We’re trying our best on fitness, it all showed today. It’s (all) about getting five wickets in the most crucial match and winning the series.”

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