Test debut in Mohali will always be most memorable moment of my cricketing career, says Amit Mishra

New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS Amit Mishra carved a special place in Indian cricket with his classical, attacking leg-spin, with his flight, sharp turn and the occasional googly being the main tools in his arsenal.

In 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is, he delivered several memorable performances, from a five-wicket haul on debut to equalling Javagal Srinath’s record for most wickets taken in a bilateral ODI series. Mishra was also a member of India's 2013 Champions Trophy winning squad and became runners-up in the 2014 T20 World Cup, where he picked 10 wickets.

After announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket, Mishra spoke exclusively to IANS about his journey, Test debut against Australia, three IPL hat-tricks and the future of leg-spin in Indian cricket. Excerpts:

Q. What have been the reasons behind your decision to retire from professional cricket?

A. I played cricket for the last 25 years, and after a period of time, the body doesn’t give the required support. I was trying to come back after having an injury. But one injury happening after another gave me the signal that the body is overloaded and was unable to recover from injuries quickly.

Plus, I have to give chances to youngsters. Last year, I was injured, so I did not put my name in the IPL auctions. I couldn’t play domestic cricket, as the body is not taking any kind of stress. All these reasons made me feel the right time has come to say goodbye to playing cricket.

Q. Looking back, how would you assess your cricketing journey, particularly your career at the international level?

A. Whenever I got a chance for Indian team, I performed and I have no regrets. Some people used to question ‘We think you should have played more matches or this and that happened’. See, let bygones be bygones as I am very satisfied with my cricket career. I am very happy because I did double the hard work, as compared to what was expected from me.

You can only do what is in your hands and I never neglected that - like working hard and performing well. Whatever I was asked to improve upon, I always did it. Yes, around 9-10 or 15 years ago, things were said about my fitness and I made sure to improve it. I also improved my batting and bowling.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me in my career - my coaches, family, colleagues, seniors and juniors. I will always be grateful to the Haryana Cricket Association for nurturing me when I was struggling and giving a chance to play in the senior team, which paved my path to entering Indian team. I would like to thank all the IPL franchises who gave me a lot of love and support.

Q. Which achievement or moment from your playing career stands out as the most memorable for you?

A. There are a lot of moments, but I would like to mention one special moment – my Test debut in Mohali. It was when Anil (Kumble) bhai was injured and was under a lot of pressure at that time, because entire media was saying if I could do what Anil bhai did for the Test side for so long.

But it was a special moment when Anil bhai told me in the morning that I would be playing in the match, and encouraged me to play professionally and perform well. Then I took eight wickets on debut, including a five-wicket haul, and that will always be the most important and memorable moment of my career.

After that, I created a lot of good memories. But the Test debut also stands out because I felt there could have never been more memorable and better situation to play in Tests for India. Like Anil bhai was out, and I came in to fill his big shoes. It felt like the biggest achievement for me and will always be something which will never leave my mind.

Q. Did you ever feel you had the potential to play more matches, including Tests, for India?

A. Yes, I did feel that if I got more matches, I would have performed better and played more cricket. But if you think a lot about something whose control isn’t in your hands, then you will go into depression. I never had any regrets, as I kept moving towards improvement.

But then, I had a playing career of 25 years, which isn’t a small one by any means. I didn't play a lot of matches, but I was with the team continuously in ODIs, T20Is and in IPL for 16-17 years. So I am very happy about the fact that I never back-stepped on anything in my life or in the face of any challenge in cricket.

Q. The IPL was often witness to some of your best performances. What was it about the tournament that really brought the best out of you?

A. I believe your performance there cannot be suppressed. It’s the biggest league in India and all the best players in the world come to play in it. So, if you perform there, it comes out in full view and people do appreciate it deeply.

For example, if you dismiss someone like Chris Gayle, Virender Sehwag, Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji or AB de Villiers in IPL, the biggest thing is people remember it and acknowledge that you performed well. Normally what happens is, a bowler takes four-five wickets and it’s soon forgotten.

But it doesn't happen in the IPL, as if you take two-three important wicket, people recall it by saying, ‘the direction of the match changed because of those scalps’. That’s the value of the IPL - a bowler dismissing a big batter gets recognized, and it can even reward you with opportunities to break into the Indian team. Doing well in a season can get you in line for entering the Indian team, India A or Duleep Trophy sides.

Q. You still hold the record for the most hat-tricks in IPL’s history. In what ways did that positively impact your career?

A. Taking a hat-trick in the IPL is not an easy task, so all three of them are very special to me. That record is still there and I am still in the top ten wicket takers list in the IPL gives me a lot of happiness, despite not playing much in last two years due to my injuries.

Hat-tricks don’t happen often in a career, so all of them I took for three different IPL teams are extremely special to me. But I would definitely say that my first hat-trick in the IPL proved to be very advantageous as it opened my doors to be back in Indian team.

I played two ODIs against Bangladesh in 2003 and was then dropped from the Indian team for five years. But after I took my first hat-trick which ended in a five-for in IPL, I found myself in India ‘A’ team and then made my Test debut in the same year. It was literally a door opener for me to be back in the India set-up.

Q. From the time you started to now, how do you see the evolution of cricket at the domestic level?

A. Definitely cricket has evolved so much now. When I came in, people used to take their time in playing the game. But now it’s not there anymore – they play with an aggressive batting approach and bowlers also have some aggression. The bowler who has more variations and wicket-taking balls is getting more importance now.

It’s become more of a power game and you have to up your fielding standards, as well as add some batting arsenal to your bowling skills. I have witnessed tons of changes in cricket. I began when Sachin paaji was around, and then played in the eras of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It’s good these changes are coming and in the next five years, I feel there will be more modifications.

Earlier, we would be in awe of the range of shots of overseas players. Now Indian batters have those same shots. Similarly, fast bowlers have slower bouncers and yorkers, while spinners bowl different variations of leg-spin, googly and flipper, which is amazing to see. In coming times, the pace of cricket will become faster and the thinking of players, team management and even playing rules will change.

Q. What’s your perspective on the future wrist-spinners in India, and your advice for those aiming to play all formats?

A. There is a lot of talent, but we have to nurture them, provide good coaching and need to instill a good mindset. T20 and IPL is in everyone's mind, which is a different kind of bowling. But the bowling done in Test matches is very different - you have to manage and bowl differently by using variations effectively.

For telling them that, they need those kind of players and coaches to guide them. We have no shortage of talent, but need to give them proper guidance and bring about a change in their mindset. We need to tell them what kind of bowling and variations they need to employ for different formats and there can be more improvement in this regard.

As a professional cricketer, you have to adapt, whether you are a batter, fast bowler or spinner or even if you are an experienced bowler. We need to tell youngsters that all three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is are different formats to bowl in and require different mindsets to operate.

For example, when it comes to bowling in Tests, there should be some changes in your bowling – whether it’s in your follow through, how much flight needs to be given, where should the ball be pitched, which variations should you use or refrain from using, what you have to think and the various kind of fields to be set.

Q. Who, in your opinion, has the potential to emerge as the next big wrist-spinner for India, especially in Tests?

A. See, I always don't take names of particular bowlers, because if you take someone's name, the other person will feel bad and their morale will go down. I don't want to bring down anyone’s morale. We have a lot of talent in us and I have seen cricketers who have the talent to be good off-spinners, leg-spinners and left-arm spinners.

But you have to guide and mentor them as bowling in T20Is and Tests is very different – whether its variations and mindset wise. So they have to think and prepare accordingly. They have to bowl in the nets, not just four overs, but send down ten or more overs of bowling, as they have to work hard on skills and mindset.

Q. What is that one crucial learning youngsters can draw from your cricketing career?

A. Never take shortcuts in life - that's all I will say. Shortcut leads to a short career. Think of the big picture for your career and never stop working hard. Also, never get depressed because there is so much cricket these days. If you don't get a chance now, you will get it after a year or two.

Q. Now that your playing days are over, in what ways do you see yourself staying involved with cricket?

A. I have already dabbled into commentary. But if given a chance, I would like to share learnings from my 25 years of experience of playing cricket. In our time, it was not so easy to go to anyone and ask them about bowling.

But now it is possible, and I would always like to help any cricketer or talented kid who wishes to play for India. Whatever help I can do from my side – mentally, physically and skill-wise – I am ready to do that.

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