Amit Mishra produced a match-defining spell for Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League clash against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday evening as the former went on to win the contest by six wickets.
Such was Mishra's impact on a slow Chepauk turner as he scalped four wickets in his quota and conceded just 24 runs to help his side restrict Mumbai Indians for a paltry 137/9 in 20 overs.
Mishra's prized scalps in the contest on Tuesday inflicted a middle-order collpase on Mumbai, who at one stage looked in a comfortbale position riding on skipper Rohit Sharma's 30-ball 44. The Delhi Capitals spinner, who was playing his first match in the ongoing edition, went on to dismiss Rohit, Ishan Kishan (26 off 28), Hardik Pandya (0), and Kieron Pollard (2 off 5).
After the match, Mishra's former India teammate and destructive opener Virender Sehwag shared an incident involving the leggie, when he had asked for a salary hike after claiming his first-ever hat-trick in the lucrative T20 league.
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"He is [Amit Mishra] a kind of guy who is very calm and talks gently to everybody. He gets to mingle with everyone pretty quickly. So that’s why he becomes the favourite of his teammates. When he gets beaten, other players feel for him. And when takes wickets, all are happy for him. I remember when he claimed his first hat-trick. I asked him what do you want and he said ‘Viru Bhai, please get my salary increased.’ Now, I feel, he would be getting that much amount of money that he won’t ask for a raise even after getting another hat-trick," Sehwag told during a LIVE session on Cricbuzz after the match.
Mishra has so far picked three hat-tricks in IPL, the most by any bowler, and his first hat-trick came in the inaugural edition held in 2008, when he used to feature for Delhi Daredevils, now rechristened as Delhi Capitals.
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Meanwhile, Mishra's impressive figure 4/24 is so far the best by any Delhi bowler against the Mumbai franchise.
Sehwag also stated what makes Mishra one of best bowlers in IPL
“Mishra seemed nervous during his over in powerplay. He got hit by Suryakumar Yadav hit for boundaries over covers. But when the powerplay ended, Mishra Ji also came back strong because once the field is spread, he also feels that he can bowl at a normal pace on which the batters have to take the risk."
“He bowled really well. That’s why he is one of the best bowlers of this tournament. He has the most wickets as a spinner. Had Rohit Sharma played his normal game against him, he could have scored 60-70 runs easily,” Sehwag added.
Sharing his insights on Hardik Pandya's dismissal, Sehwag said: "Amit Mishra knew that when Hardik Pandya plays spin, he simply attacks. If gets the ball in his area, he looks to smash it. If it’s his day, he whacks a maximum or else he will get out. So, Mishra is wise enough to judge if a batsman like Pandya goes after him, who will he bowl or what variation does he need to make. Mishra accepts challenges no matter who the batsman he is bowling at,” Sehwag said.
