Kumble's googly tips working well for me: Amit Mishra

CHENNAI: Amit Mishra is finally finding his feet at the top. Since his debut about a decade back, the leggie has never been a permanent member of the Indian side, but his performances in Zimbabwe, where he was the Man of the Series, will make it difficult for the selectors to ignore him when they select the team for the next series. During a chat with the TOI, the leggie spoke about his new-found confidence, his lethal googly and his future plans.Excerpts:
The India 'A' team is playing in South Africa. After your performance in Zimbabwe, wouldn't you have preferred to play there?
There's always the hunger to play more cricket, but I have played in South Africa before. I have been with the Indian team for a while and this rest was also and figure out where I stand. I might play the Buchu Babu semifinals in Chennai if Haryana go that far before the Champions League, where Sunrisers Hyderabad have qualified.
We saw a different Amit Mishra in Zimbabwe. What are the changes that you have brought to your game?
The big change was the variation of pace. Earlier, my deliveries used to come at a slower pace, which allowed the batsman to adjust. Now I am trying to bowl at a pace and still extract spin. For that to happen, I had to work hard on my fitness as well. I was injured for a while last year and I was in NCA for recovery.
That's the time I worked with the likes of Anil Kumble, Narendra Hirwani and the other coaches at the academy who helped me become a better bowler.
Was there anything specific from Kumble that made a difference?
Of course...He told me about the importance of variation in pace and also told me how to outthink a batsman. I worked on my googly with him and that's also paying dividends.
The googly looked unplayable in Zimbabwe...
It was. I could see that the Zimbabwe batsmen were not reading my googlies at all. MS Dhoni always keeps telling me that if I find a weakness in the opposition, it's important I keep hitting them at the same spot. Even though Mahi was not there in Zimbabwe, I kept in mind what he said.
How was Virat Kohli as a captain in Zimbabwe?
He was great. He kept telling me to attack and not think too much about containing. He gave me the field that I wanted and I am indebted to Virat for the confidence that he showed in me.
But things won't be easy against better opposition, more so if you find a place in the Test side...
Of course not. I know the challenges will be greater, but that's where I have to show that I have become a better bowler. And for that to happen, I have to be selected first in the Test team. My job is to keep performing.