Before the start of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), leg-spinner Amit Mishra has promised the Delhi Daredevils fans for a turnaround in the new season of the T20 extravaganza which is all set to kick-off from April 7 in Mumbai. With a new captain Gautam Gambhir and coach Ricky Ponting at the helm, the capital-based franchise are eager to leave a mark in this edition's IPL.
Speaking to India TV in an exclusive interview, Mishra showed his eagerness to play the shorter format and said he's training hard for a better show in the 11th edition of the T20 league. He said: "I have put in a lot of hard work and training hard in the nets these days. I'm ready for the new season of IPL and is excited to make a comeback to the T20 cricket."
Despite possessing several game-changers in their ranks over the years, Daredevils have mostly failed to live up to the standards and have disappointed their fans. They have finished out of top five in their last five seasons of the cash-rich league. Delhi best finish were in 2009 and 2012 editions when they ended up at the third spot in the league.
However, with the presence of players like Gambhir, Glenn Maxwell, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Chris Morris - DD looked like a complete package this year.
Stressing on Delhi's combination, Mishra said, "Delhi have a really good combination in this year's IPL as we have some really good players in our ranks. We have an experienced captain this year in form of Gautam Gambhir who has a good understanding of the game and is a proven campaigner in the league."
"We will give our best on the field and fulfil the long-awaited wish of Delhi fans this year with their first IPL title."
An IPL veteran himself, Mishra is the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament behind Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga. He has 134 wickets against his name from 126 innings with an impressive strike-rate of 19.69. The leggie also boasts of an equally credible economy of less than 8 which is equal to gold in the shortest format.
He has represented three teams till now - Deccan Charges (2011), Delhi Daredevils (2008) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016). Interestingly, the 35-year old spinner has taken a hat-trick for all the three franchises. And now, he is again brought by the Delhi franchise and it would be interesting to see whether he can create the same magic or not.
On being quizzed about Virat Kohli, Mishra said he knows the India captain from his childhood days and credited his hard work for his great success in the international circuit.
"Virat is a top-class player, he is the number one player in the world. He has improved a lot with his game. He's a hardworking man and I have seen him from his childhood. He has the ability to remain positive in every situation."
Both Kohli and Mishra have played for Delhi thus knows each other's game very closely.
"We have played together a lot, he knows how I bowl and similarly I know his style of batting."
"I always try to read his mind whenever I come to bowl against him. As he's a proven campaigner, we make strategies around him and try to execute them on the field. I always bowl with a plan against Kohli and try to take his wicket," Mishra signed off.
