I am a better bowler now

Amit Mishra made his ODI debut in 2003,but faded away after playing just three games. Four years of hard work on the domestic circuit...

Amit Mishra made his ODI debut in 2003,but faded away after playing just three games. Four years of hard work on the domestic circuit,however,paid dividends in 2008 and an impressive show in the inaugural IPL saw him make his Test debut. Consistent performance has been rewarded with a place in the ODI squad. Mishra speaks to The Indian Express about the role of leggies in the 50-over format and the advantage of having Harbhajan Singh as the bowling partner. Excerpts:

Considering that left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was also performing well in T20,were you surprised with the ODI recall?

amp;149; Not really,I was expecting it. I had two good IPL seasons and was among the wickets in the recent Emerging Players tournament. Even during the Ranji one-dayers,Id bowled well. I always felt that Id make it in the one-day squad again.

The last ODI you played was in 2003. How have you changed in these six years?

amp;149; Im a much better bowler now. I can adapt to situations,read batsmen better and understand the conditions.

There arent too many leg-spinners in ODIs these days. The general perception is that they are more suitable for Tests.

amp;149; Leg-spinners have more variations,so their chances of taking wickets are higher. Batsmen fear them. But in ODIs,its more difficult to make an impact,as you need to be very consistent. You cant bowl just 24 good balls and think that you will survive in international cricket. You have bowl 60 quality balls to make an impact.

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You and Gautam Gambhir made it to the international circuit at around the same time. How is your rapport with him?

amp;149; Ive known him for the last 15 years. During our early days,we used to egg each other on. We were very young at that time but had a common goal making the Indian team. Things didnt go as planned initially we went to Bangladesh together and were both dropped.

After that series,how did you plan your comeback?

amp;149; We told each other that we needed to work harder. I was really happy when he made a comeback and cemented his place in the team. Now he is the No 1 batsman in the world. He deserves this.

How it is to have someone like Harbhajan Singh as your bowling partner?

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amp;149; When you bowl with someone like Harbhajan,who has taken more than 300 wickets,things become easy. I remember during my first Test match against Australia,he came to me and said,Mishraji,aap apna ball aaram se dalo Just take it easy. Such things give you confidence.

How big is the Champions Trophy for you?

amp;149; It will be my biggest assignment so far. Lets see how it goes. I had done well in South Africa during the IPL,and hope to do it again.