Kolkata: The challenge for Delhi Capitals in the UAE leg of the IPL, according to their veteran leg spinner Amit Mishra, will be try and maintain the momentum which they created in the first half of their campaign in India. Capitals, runners-up last season, had been the table-toppers when the IPL was suspended in early May due to rising cases of Covid-19 among teams.
“We have been doing well in the last two seasons and the performances have come because of a collective effort. From coaches to selectors to players, everyone should be credited for Delhi Capitals’ progress as a team in the last few years,’’ said Mishra, who at 38 years is the second highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL with 166 wickets.
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“We will try to build on our momentum from the first half of the IPL 2021 season and take one match at a time once the season resumes,” said ‘Mishi bhai,’ who is adored more as an elder brother by his teammates.
“We are at the top of the table right now, but we have to start afresh. We have to set our strategies again. I think every team has an equal chance of doing well now since we are all re-starting the tournament. We are playing the second half of the IPL in a different country, so we have to devise our strategies according to the conditions here in the UAE,” Mishra, who can be difficult to get away on the slower wickets of UAE, told Delhi Capitals.
Mishra, who was among the players diagnosed with Covid-19 just before the IPL was suspended in May, spoke about how he rebuilt his fitness post recovery from the illness.
“After the IPL was suspended in May, I focused on my recovery from Covid-19. According to the advice given to me by the doctors, I improved my fitness slowly and steadily. It was difficult for me during the recovery phase, but I am happy that I am here for the second half of the season. I trained on my own and didn’t go close to anybody after recovery. I got some gym equipment such as a treadmill and set them up at my home as well because I didn’t want to train in a public gym,” said Mishra.
The Capitals will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.
