Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is happy that debutant fast bowler Navdeep Saini grabbed the opportunity he was given and stressed that a player like him needs to be groomed.
The 26-year-old bowler, arguably the fastest in the country, sent three West Indians to the dugout in the first T-20 in Florida. He gave away just 17 runs in the match which India won by four-wickets.
“He is a good talent, had a good debut as well. We just need to groom him. I would like to see 4-5 bowlers like him to come into the team so that we have enough options available. And he is one of them. He has done will in the last one year, performed in the IPL too. He has grabbed the opportunity nicely.
“I hope we keep getting options like him which will make our team stronger,” Mishra said at a promotional event where Delhi Capitals announced its association with Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.
The Indian team management faced criticism for their out-of-sorts middle-order, which got exposed in the semi-finals against New Zealand after the top-order failed to click for the first time in the tournament. However, Mishra believes that the team has got all their bases covered.
“I don’t think our team particularly lack in any area. We have good spinners, fast bowlers and our middle-order is doing well too. There are so many youngsters that are in the team at the moment,” he said.
While there are good young players knocking at the door, Mishra thinks experience in international matches will make them better players.
“The more they will play, the better they will get. We won’t face any problems as there is a talented young bunch in the team. The only thing that matters is experience and with time when they will get it. They will improve a lot as players,” Mishra, who has taken 156 wickets in international matches, said.
On being asked if Indian team needs a coach like Anil Kumble so as to assist spinners in the team, he said, “I am not the best person to answer this. You should ask the team management. We have enough number of spin coaches who are good enough to do the job.”
Meanwhile, former India spinner Sunil Joshi applied for the position of bowling coach earlier this week.
The question arises in the light of poor show by spinners in the World Cup especially against England where they successfully nullified Indian spinners’ threat and hammered 160 runs against Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
A section of critics and experts favour wrist spinners over their finger counterparts because of their ability to turn the ball on any given track whereas finger spinners always needs some assistance from the strip if they are to do well. However, Mishra differed and had his own take.
“Conditions also matter a lot for spinners. Sometimes they don’t get helpful conditions that support their style but they did pretty well. What happens is that sometimes conditions are more conducive to fast bowlers. Plus, England’s weather is a big factor too. I think these might be the reasons behind our spinners’ below-par performance,” Mishra said.