Amit Mishra Revels In Limited Opportunity, Proves to be India's Hero vs New Zealand
Amit Mishra picked five for 18 in India's ODI series decider against New Zealand. He was not only adjudged the Man of the match but also the Man of the Series
Highlights
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Amit Mishra picked 5/18 in the ODI series decider vs NZ
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He was adjudged Man of the Series and Man of the Match
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The NZ ODI series was his first in a year
For Amit Mishra, the India vs New Zealand ODI in Dharamsala was his first in almost a year. Not a regular in Indian ODI cricket team, the leg-spinner scalped 3/49 in the game. In the next four matches, he picked 12 more wickets to be India's top bowler against the Black Caps.
The highlight of Mishra's performance was his five for 18 in the fifth ODI in Vishakhapatnam on Saturday. Courtesy his stellar show, India beat New Zealand by massive 190 runs to win the series 3-2. Mishra not only won the 'Man of the Match' award but also clinched the 'Man of the Series' trophy.
In the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, regular spinners in the limited overs team, Mishra led the attack and proved his worth as a leading option ahead of next year's Champions Trophy.
"It's a good thing for the Indian team that I performed well. I was a little tensed for the first two overs, but once the ball started turning I got wickets," he said after his match-winning performance on Saturday.
He thanked coach Anil Kumble for his expert advice. "I followed the tips given by Anil Kumble. I had a word with him before the match and he asked me to bowl my normal flighted deliveries. Axar has been bowling well. I just want to say that if we continue like this, it will be good for the team. All the credit goes to the coaches and my team," he said.
Before the New Zealand ODI series, the last time he played the format was in October, 2015, against South Africa at home. After that India toured Australia and Zimbabwe, but Mishra was not part of the ODI squad.
"Mishra's beauty is he bowls slow, so as a keeper you have time to recover the ball to stump batsmen. And in tandem with Axar, who bowls flat and quick, it was very good," Dhoni said.
"One of the best performances by the bowlers. One of the pitches where bowlers bowled with a lot of assistance. There was a bit of dew but what was important was the pace at which they bowled. Fast bowlers gave us the breakthrough and then the spinners bowled well."