3-0 down in the series, India was given a glimmer of hope of avoiding a disastrous whitewash on the 2011 tour of England by nightwatchman Amit Mishra when he joined forces with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Day 5 of the Oval Test.
Mishra was in good form coming into that innings after scoring a useful 43 in the first half of the Test match. As it turned out, he played inarguably the best knock of his career, making a 141-ball 84 against the likes of Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Graeme Swann.
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That fourth-wicket partnership with Tendulkar (91) stretched as far as 144 runs, before their departure in successive overs followed yet another Indian collapse and the visitors went down by an innings and 8 runs.
"I am really proud to have batted with Sachin paji. I think it was one of the most memorable moments of my Test career. We were playing against England in the 2011 tour, and I had scored 43 in the first innings," said Mishra during an Instagram Live session with the official handle of his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday (May 10)
"The second innings, we were following on, and needed to play well to avoid defeat. I went in as nightwatchman, and Sachin paji kept guiding me through the innings."
"It was important for us to get through the morning session, and I ended up scoring 84, while paji made 91. However, I was also really gutted that we lost the match."
Meanwhile, Mishra also talked about his relationship with the Delhi franchise in the IPL, having now been an integral part of the side for eight years.
"I feel emotionally connected with Delhi Capitals having played here for eight years," said the veteran leg-spinner. "I feel like the team is part of my DNA now, and my aim always is to try to give more than 100 per cent every time I step onto the field."
"The owners, management and the team have always been there for me, and I'm really grateful to be playing for the franchise."
Mishra, who boasts of a fantastic record in IPL, credited the team environment for Delhi's success at the last year's edition of the T20 league. Led by Shreyas Iyer under coach Ricky Ponting's guidance, DC made it to the play-offs in IPL 2019 when nobody expected the team to do so.
"I think last year was fantastic for us - you could see the team was united throughout, and that reflected onto the field as well. I believe everyone was playing their roles well, and the positivity around the group really helped us in putting in great performances," said the 37-year-old.
"We were also good at home, played some solid cricket at Kotla, which really got the fans going. I think it was one of the best seasons the franchise has had in terms of support and performances."
(Inputs from IANS)
