Leggie Mishra not quite at home

On the one hand the national selectors are looking for a spinner who can really tweak the ball in home conditions. Khurram Habib reports.

On the one hand the national selectors are looking for a spinner who can really tweak the ball in home conditions.

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But there is Amit Mishra, discarded India leg spinner, who despite being the captain of Haryana, is struggling to get a track at his home venue in Lahli that will help him showcase his skills better to the selectors.

In the first match of the season, he bowled just two overs, and in the second, just 21. He got a track that had less grass in the third and bowled 34 overs, scalping five in the first innings.

The location of the Lahli ground, amidst open fields, traditionally supports swing due to windy conditions and heavy moisture.

No Assistance
"It definitely helps if you get some help from the wicket as a spinner. But at the end of the day, you have to perform wherever you play," says Mishra, who played the last of his 13 Tests on the England tour last year before his failures led to his exclusion from the India squad. "We have a fast bowlers' wicket and most of the games are low scoring."

In three matches, the Lahli track has already seen two totals of less than 100 while the highest has been 324. However, in the Duleep Trophy, Mishra took nine wickets in two matches on flat surfaces. It has not helped Haryana that their batsmen have struggled and their main paceman, Harshal Patel, is injured.

Delhi-TN draw
KB Arun Karthik hit an unbeaten 121 as TN saw off the last day to draw their tie against Delhi. Shikhar Dhawan had imposed the follow-on yesterday, hoping to get maximum points. Delhi (11) are third in the points table, behind Odisha and Baroda (13).

Brief scores: Delhi 555/4d Tamil Nadu 226 & 220 for 2 in 77 ovs (A Karthick 121*).