India vs West Indies: Amit Mishra relying on Anil Kumble, Caribbean experience ahead of Test series

Basseterre: Amit Mishra has played alongside Anil Kumble and now he is back to picking the brains of the legendary leg-spinner turned coach. Mishra, who was the pick of the bowlers in India’s first practice match on the tour of the West Indies at Basseterre with figures of 4/67, expects that his own experience of playing in the Caribbean, coupled with Kumble’s wealth of knowledge, will help him a lot in the four-Test series. “Yes, the experience is going to help. I have played only one Test, but played more One-day cricket in the Caribbean. Anil bhai is with us and his experience is going to matter a lot. He has played here and he keeps telling us about the conditions. We will utilise his experience and form a strategy together,” Mishra was quoted as saying by the bcci.tv. [caption id=“attachment_2886990” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Indian Test captain Virat Kohli with Amit Mishra. AP[/caption] Mishra was part of the Kumble’s farewell Test way back in 2008. So what all has he learnt from the fellow leg-spinner? “There are many things that he tells me like my bowling technique, landing and finishing. Looking at the wicket, he tells me what are the areas where I can bowl and the kind of fields that I can set on a slow wicket,” said Mishra. Mishra also spoke about his rapport with Test captain Virat Kohli. “Virat Kohli is a positive person and he has created a similar positive environment within the team. He always supports me. There are no boundaries. “Whenever I want to share something with him, I am free to express my opinion. He tells me ‘You’re a wicket-taking bowler and that is what you must do. You stay positive and stick to your strengths’.” On being able to bowl a consistent line and length, Mishra said: “I bowl about two hours daily in the nets and also bowl with one stump for another half hour so that I do not lose my accuracy. It requires a lot of effort and I never shy away from working hard. I make sure that when I am not able to land my variation in the right spots, my leg spin, which is my most important weapon works perfectly. “There are times when as a bowler you do not get the desired rhythm and in those times your leg spin (stock ball) must land perfectly. I bowl a lot in the nets and that is the reason why I have been able to be more accurate,” he explained. Talking about his performance in the warm-up, Mishra felt he got a lot out of bowling on a flat track. “I was trying to vary my speed and was looking to confuse the batsmen. I didn’t want them to know at what speed I was bowling. I was also mixing up my deliveries; bowling straighter ones in between and turning the rest. I am very happy that on a slow wicket I could dismiss four batsmen,” he added.