Veteran Delhi Capitals’ and Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra was overwhelmed by his state colleague Rahul Tewatia’s “beyond expectation” knock against King XI Punjab (KXIP) in the ongoing IPL 2020.
Rajasthan Royals’ Rahul Tewatia became an overnight star by hitting the West Indian fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell for 5 sixes in an over, scoring 53 off 31 balls with the help of 7 sixes to help the RR pull-off the highest run chase in the IPL history on 27th September against the KXIP.
Mishra and Tewatia both hail from Haryana and played together for the Delhi Capitals in the 2018 season of the IPL. After the 27-year-old’s magical knock, the veteran India spinner heaped praise on the RR star saying such performances are “good for the future of Haryana.”
However, Mishra admitted that he had expectations with Rahul, but didn’t expect that he would play such incredible innings against the KXIP and now the veteran wants his domestic teammate to keep performing like this in future.
As per PTI, Mishra said of Tewatia: “He has been focussing on his batting. The way he played yesterday it is good for the future of Haryana. I want him to keep performing like this in future.”
He further added, “I had little bit of expectations that he can but I didn’t expect that he will go on to play the innings he actually did. Sometimes your focus is so much, things start happening as you want. It was an innings which we don’t see often. It is one of the best innings of his life so far.”
Meanwhile, the DC star has played just 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India despite being one of the best leg-spinners in the country, and he himself admitted that he didn’t get what he deserved.
Mishra added, “To be honest, I didn’t get what I should have but it’s okay. People know who is Amit Mishra. That’s is enough for me. I have to focus on my cricket and bowling so that is what I do.”
On being asked if he is under-rated, the leg-spinner said: “I don’t know if I am underrated. I used to think too much earlier, so mind used to get diverted, now I just focus on my job.”
Hailing Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, Mishra said: “Shreyas has been good so far. He is always positive. He gives the freedom to the bowlers and according to his strategy, he sets the field. He will get better performance as a captain moving forward.”
On DC head coach Ricky Ponting, the veteran cricketer said: “He has played the game for such a long time, so he knows the mentality of the players. If someone is low or over confident, he knows what to say. He always talks positive. He is so jolly, I also learn a lot from him how he handles players depending on their individual nature.”
On Tuesday (September 29), the DC will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL 2020 and Mishra feels the Abu Dhabi wicket will favour the batsmen.
The 37-year-old said on the wicket: “We haven’t practiced on this wicket. But I think it is supporting batting. It is a bit slow. Batsmen are getting the time to play shots. Batsmen have an advantage, bowlers also are planning accordingly. It will be a slow wicket.”
He signed off, “For Sharjah, we have to plan better because it is a small ground. Compared to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the match in Sharjah will be more important match. If you win there, it will help the team.”
(With PTI Inputs)
