Leg-spinner Amit Mishra vows a better show ahead
He, however, admitted that the Test would have ended in India's favour had the host put up more pressure on England by picking wickets at the top.
Rajkot: Much was expected from the Indian spin trio of R. Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test of the five-match series against England. But the batting paradise at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot turned out to be difficult one for the bowlers with the match ending in a tense draw on Sunday.
As many as six centuries were hit during the course of the game-four from England side and two from India, with hardly any telling bowling performance. Ace Indian leg-spinner Mishra, who toiled hard in the opening Test, has admitted that it was a difficult pitch to bowl.
“It was a good wicket for batting. It was a slow wicket. It would have been a lot more exciting had there been more pace in the wicket,” Mishra was quoted as saying by BCCI.tv.
He, however, admitted that the Test would have ended in India's favour had the host put up more pressure on England by picking wickets at the top.
“There is difficulty for the bowlers to bowl on wickets that are suitable for batting and you are about to bowl to a side that has already scored 500 plus. It is important as a bowler to bowl in the right areas and make the batsmen commit errors. We tried our best but credit to them for the way they batted,” he said.
The leggie was playing a Test after a gap of three months having played last against West Indies in Jamaica.
Going into the second Test which is to be played in Visakhapatnam, Mishra, who was the Man of the Series in the five-match ODI series, would be high on confidence because at this very venue, he picked up a five-for during the final game.
However, the 33-year-old has agreed that it did take some adjusting for the format shift after the telling performance against the Black Caps.
“I wouldn’t say I bowled very well. It did take time for me to get my rhythm, especially since I was playing a Test after a long time. I was at the bench for two Tests in the West Indies and then sat out in the New Zealand Test series. Also, I was coming off from the ODI series so the transition to Tests did take some time.” he said.