HomeNewsIND vs WI 2016: Mishra not expecting green pitch at Jamaica
India vs West Indies 2016: Amit Mishra not expecting green pitch at Jamaica
Mishra spoke to the media in a press conference talking about his own performance, coach Anil Kumble's influence on the team and about the pitches being offered for practice
Amit Mishra, India’s leg-spin bowler who is currently a part of the squad touring West Indies for the Test series, praised his teammates for their magnificent display in the first Test at Antigua. Mishra heaped praises on captain Virat Kohli, who scored his maiden double-hundred in Test cricket as well as Ravichandran Ashwin who picked 7 wickets in the West Indies second innings after scored a hundred when India batted first. Mishra spoke to the media in a press conference talking about his own performance, coach Anil Kumble’s influence on the team and about the pitches being offered for practice. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs West Indies , 2nd Test match at Jamaica
When asked about the team’s motivation after a win by an innings in the first Test match, Mishra felt although the team is motivated, focusing on the next Test at Jamaica is key. He said, “Totally motivated by the win and great feeling how we won the first Test. It was a collective effort and we did well in batting, bowling, fielding, holding catches, it was a collective and an all-round effort. I feel that we can forget that now and are now totally concentrating on the Jamaica match and for us the effort will be that we can move on from the win yet continue to do well in the coming matches,” as quoted by Cricbuzz. READ: West Indies announce squad for 2nd Test against India at Jamaica
Mishra while adressing the media also stressed on the importance of getting rid of the tailenders and why it was important to bowl wicket-taking deliveries to them. He said,”Sometimes you can get the main batsmen out but the tail can wag longer and play longer. So it becomes tough to get them out because you are concentrating on the main batsmen, and the last 3-4 wickets keep on playing. So we discussed that we will look to bowl wicket taking deliveries at them so that runs are also tough to come by. The best thing was that we were able to do it and get those wickets whenever the partnerships started forming in the lower order.” READ: Indian cricket team reaches Kingston for 2nd Test vs West Indies
He added, “Similarly while batting also in the lower order we did well, batting with Ashwin we added 100-plus runs partnership and we could get 550-plus. So that put added pressure on the team, like I said it was a collective effort and going well at the moment and we just have to build on it going forward.”
Mishra took 3 wickets in the first Test at Antigua, while his spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin took a 7-wicket haul in the second innings. Mishra’s hunger for taking more wickets was evident when he said, “All we can do is try and bowl well, and that is what I am trying to do. Getting wickets is not in your ends. Sometimes partnerships build up and you have to create pressure from either end. So you do that from the other end, Ashwin was getting wickets in the last match so my role was to keep maintaining the pressure and keep bowling. I am very satisfied and hopefully I can take a few more wickets in this Test.
Mishra also said that Kumble’s experience as a spin bowler himself helps him a lot, while calling the newly appointed coach as legendary. “I am very lucky that Kumble is with the coaching team now and he is with me in the team now. He is a legendary bowler and when I was debuting he had retired. So I could only talk to him intermittently. Now he is with me and we are able to talk a lot more. He keeps telling me that different aspects of batting and bowling, how to bowl to tailenders and while batting in the lower order how to bring about more confidence in your own batting. So all the experience he has helps in little things. If wickets are slow, vary your pace and all,” Mishra said.
While the action now moves to Jamaica for the second Test, Mishra said he is not expecting a green pitch at the venue. “Two days left for the match, so we will wait to see the wicket on the final day. But I don’t think we will get a pitch which is so green. We practiced a lot here today so that we can get acclimatized to the hot and humid weather here and so that we don’t face problems in the next few days in terms of fitness and conditioning, Mishra said.
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