With cricket coming to a standstill due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the players are looking back at their careers, while also talking about their lives beyond the sport. While many are taking it to their social media profiles, some are also participating in video chats organised by international boards and cricket franchises.
During one such interaction, experienced Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra opened up on his playing career.
He revealed that his partnership with Sachin Tendulkar during the 2011 tour to England at the Kennington Oval remains the most memorable moment of his Test career. He scored 84 in the second innings of the Test, while Tendulkar scored 91, as the duo added 144 runs for the fourth wicket.
India, however, lost the match by an innings and eight 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 Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
"The second innings, we were following on, and needed to play well to avoid defeat. I went in as night watchman, 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," he added.
Amit Mishra, who has been with the Delhi franchise for the past eight years in the IPL, also talked about his time at the Capitals. He said that he feels 'emotionally connected' to the franchise.
"I feel emotionally connected with Delhi Capitals having played here for eight years. 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," said Mishra.
"The owners, management and the team have always been there for me, and I'm really grateful to be playing for the franchise," added the 37-year-old.
"We were also good at home – we 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," he added.
Talking about the prospect of playing in empty stadiums, the veteran spinner, who has 157 wickets in 147 IPL matches said it is important to first deal with the pandemic.
"I feel the most important thing right now is to deal with the coronavirus and ensure that we are taking all precautions. After that, once the situation is better, we should definitely have cricket. It would mean that the fans can enjoy the sport on TV at least."
Recently, the 37-year-old has also been seen donating essentials to those in need, and spoke about how this initiative came about. "I have some friends in the police and in various NGOs, and during a chat they mentioned to me that people are facing huge problems with basic essentials. I decided to help, and have tried to provide items of basic utility like raw food, masks, kits to those in need," said Mishra.
(With inputs from IANS)
