IPL: Delhi Capitals is part of my DNA now, says veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra

New Delhi, May 11: Delhi Capitals' experienced leg spinner Amit Mishra said he feels emotionally connected to the IPL franchise, having spent eight years in Delhi.

"I feel emotionally connected with Delhi Capitals having played here for eight years. I feel like the team is part of my DNA now, and my aim always is to try to give more than 100% every time I step onto the field," said Mishra on Sunday (May 10) during an Instagram Live session with the franchise's official handle.

"The owners, management and the team have always been there for me, and I'm really grateful to be playing for the franchise," added the 37-year-old.

Reflecting on last season's excellent performances, the veteran bowler credited the positive team environment for success. "I think last year was fantastic for us - you could see the team was united throughout, and that reflected onto the field as well. I believe everyone was playing their roles well, and the positivity around the group really helped us in putting in great performances," said the IPL's second-highest wicket-taker.

"We were also good at home - we played some solid cricket at Kotla, which really got the fans going. I think it was one of the best seasons the franchise has had in terms of support and performances," he added.

The veteran spinner, who has 157 wickets in 147 IPL matches, is no muck with the bat and reminisced his Test innings of 84 where he batted with Sachin Tendulkar, the man he calls his idol. "I am really proud to have batted with Sachin paji. I think it was one of the most memorable moments of my Test career. We were playing against England in the 2011 tour, and I had scored 43 in the first innings. The second innings, we were following on and needed to play well to avoid defeat. I went in as night-watchman, and Sachin paji kept guiding me through the innings. It was important for us to get through the morning session, and I ended up scoring 84, while paji made 91. However, I was also really gutted that we lost the match."

Talking about the prospect of playing in empty stadiums, Mishra said it is important to first deal with the pandemic. "I feel the most important thing right now is to deal with the coronavirus and ensure that we are taking all precautions. After that, once the situation is better, we should definitely have cricket. It would mean that the fans can enjoy the sport on TV at least," said the leg spinner.

Recently, the 37-year-old has also been seen donating essentials to those in need and spoke about how this initiative came about. "I have some friends in the police and in various NGOs, and during a chat, they mentioned to me that people are facing huge problems with basic essentials. I decided to help, and have tried to provide items of basic utility like raw food, masks, kits to those in need," said Mishra.