When Twenty20 (T20) cricket first entered popular consciousness, one of the primary concerns floating around was that the see ball-hit ball format will sound the death knell for spinners and slow bowlers. With bigger bats, shorter boundaries, and no pressure to occupy the crease, the inhibitions did not look completely out of place.
However, as years rolled by, the likes of Sunil Narine, Imran Tahir, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi emerged as the saviours of spin in T20s. Seven of the top ten T20 wicket-takers in international T20 cricket are spinners, while six tweakers feature in the top-ten bowlers' list of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Amit Mishra, perhaps among the least discussed spinners going around, occupies the second spot in the IPL shortlist.
With 157 wickets from 147 games in an IPL career that is into its 13th unbroken year, the 37-year-old leggie from Delhi is the most successful spinner in IPL history, and the only bowler to claim three hat-tricks in the cash-rich league.
Mishra's India career never really took off, but the experienced leg-spinner has become some sort of an IPL legend. His longevity and consistency, Mishra says, are a result of him adhering to a basic principle that has been the bedrock of his bowling across formats - look to get the batsman out.
"What has worked for me all these years is that I never left leg-spin. I use variations, no doubt, but I have stuck to the basics of leg-spin. I have relied on flight and spin to get wickets. I have always bowled to get the batsmen out, not to stop the runs," Mishra told Firstpost from Dubai where Delhi Capitals are currently based for this year's IPL.
"My attacking thought process never changed even on flat wickets or against the set batsmen. Another thing that has worked for me over the past few seasons is that I have developed situational awareness. I am now able to adapt a lot better because I can read the situation really well. There are a number of factors that I assess before or during my spell, such as how much spin the wicket is offering, who are the batsmen I am bowling to, what is the match situation and so on. The sooner you are able to read these things, the better it is for you as a bowler."
Though a traditionalist when it comes to banking on the stock ball, Mishra is not against the idea of using variations in the shortest format to outthink the batsmen and induce mistakes.
"I have always been an attacking bowler, and I rely a lot on my stock ball. Your stock ball should be good enough to get you wickets. Having said that, in T20 cricket especially, you need to master variations too. Thanks to all the analysis available, batsmen these days are very well prepared against each bowler, so when I gauge that a particular batsman is too comfortable against my stock delivery, I switch to variations. That's what I mean by bowling according to the match situation," he added.
Accuracy has been another key factor of his bowling and Mishra believes that the ability to stick to the desired line and length for long periods has helped him harness his attacking approach. The process of getting wickets, he says, begins with a wicket-taking mindset and is implemented through an accurate, attacking line and length.
"I think if you are an accurate spinner, it becomes far easier to be an attacking spinner. If you are accurate, you can prise out one or two early wickets, and once you have done that, you are in a position to put the opposition under pressure. Once the pressure builds, the batsmen are more likely to make mistakes and offer you more chances to get them out. But it all starts with looking to get the batsmen out. It can never happen unless you are not thinking wickets."
Legend has it that @MishiAmit has already decided his next delivery as soon as the batsman attempts to play the previous one 😉#Dream11IPL #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/9sMvT8bIm2
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) September 1, 2020
Having survived and thrived in the slam-bang format for over a decade, Mishra is in a vantage position to look back and assess the growth of spinners from being touted as clueless cannon fodder to genuine wicket-taking options. He believes that spinners have become smarter and better prepared to handle the mayhem.
"I think the spinners across the world have become smarter. They have adapted to T20 cricket very well. When I first started bowling in T20s, a number of people said that leg-spinners will go for a lot of runs. I don't deny that, but I feel that quality leg-spinners are always excellent wicket-taking options. They may go for a few runs now and then, but if they have the ability to take wickets, they'll ace this format.
"Then, variations are one of the most important weapons in a spinner's armoury and a lot of spinners come prepared with them. Once you have perfected your variations, you give yourself a lot many options to get the batsmen out in this format. It is not easy, and all the bowlers who are doing well in T20 cricket have really put in a lot of effort to earn every wicket. All the top T20 spinners across the world have an excellent understanding of the game and they are able to strategise and restrategise depending on the match situation," he explained.
Being away from any cricketing activity for close to six months, thanks to coronavirus-enforced lockdown, means it won't be business as usual for cricketers. Getting back in the groove, finetuning the skills, and reclaiming the muscle memory are going to be important factors leading up to the competition.
Mishra believes that while these are genuine concerns, the fact that players have reported for the conditioning camp well in advance means there is ample time to get back in rhythm.
"I don't think returning to full form will be easy. It is tough for everyone, but as professional cricketers, we have played the sport all our lives, so it won't be impossible to find that rhythm. The experienced players understand their game far better, and I think it will be a lot easier for them to pick up, but it will take a lot of mental and physical effort to hit top form.
"There are obvious goosebumps when you return to cricket, simply because none of us has ever been away from the sport for so long. We don't know how our bodies will respond or how our skills will shape up. It won't be easy, but the good thing is that we are in a three-week conditioning camp before the IPL. The players will look to find their rhythm in the first 7-10 days, following which the full-fledged preparations will start," he signed off.
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