India leg-spinner Amit Mishra is glad he was able to contribute to the team’s historic Test series win in Sri Lanka.
Mishra picked up 15 wickets in three Tests and also scored handy lower order runs to help script a remarkable series win.
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However, there was pressure on the 32-year-old as a poor performance at this stage of his career could have meant the end of the road.
“It was a sort of do-or-die series for me. If I hadn’t performed, it would have been curtains for me,” Mishra was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“However, I had the confidence that I would deliver if given an opportunity. I wasn’t overconfident but as I had worked very hard, I knew I would do well.
"Performance was the only thing in my mind. It has been a moral-boosting win for me as Lankans are known to be good players of spin. What’s important is that it has helped my team win a series in Sri Lanka after 22 years.”
The leg-spinner said that he was able to bowl with a lot more freedom against the Sri Lankans because the team management backed him to go out and express himself.
“The team management and Virat (Kohli) showed a lot of faith in my abilities. Virat wanted all of us to bowl with freedom.
"Whatever field I asked, he supported it. Whenever he felt like giving inputs, he told me. It helps a lot when you have a proper communication with the captain.
"Virat is a very positive captain and he’s handled the team with great maturity,” he added.