Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is delighted to have Anil Kumble as National coach. At the preparatory camp ahead of the West Indies tour, the leg spinner spoke about taking tips from the master and more.
On Kumble the cricketer
When he retired, he told me, ‘The legacy is passing on to you’. However, I couldn’t learn much from him then because I made my debut during his last series. We are very happy that he is the coach. He understands the mentality of cricketers, so if everyone has a problem, they can go directly to Anil bhai and talk to him.
On taking tips from Kumble
“Anil bhai and I are different bowlers, but his wicket-taking deliveries help me a lot. He tells me how to bowl those kind of balls. Even if I can take 2-3 aspects of his style of bowling it will be an add-on for me. We have been putting our plans in place for all their top batsmen on how to bowl and what pace we bowl to them. He is helping with variation too.
Role in the team
I think my role in this team is to be a wicket-taker. Also, as a senior bowler, I have to understand the conditions quickly and pass on the information to the younger guys. Whenever I need to suggest something, I will do so, regardless of whether I’m in the eleven or not. The team will be picked according to the conditions, and I’m ready to take on any role.
Amit Mishra as a Batsman
Anil bhai has been telling us that if we can contribute with the bat, our confidence will be high when we come on to bowl. Even if we play five bowlers, all of us should be able to chip in with a 40 or 50, or to help out a batsman with a hundred-run partnership.