Glad to have done well with team relying on me, admits Abhimanyu Mithun
Karnataka’s senior bowler Abhimanyu Mithun has said that he is glad to have been performing well over the last two years with his team relying on him in the absence of other seniors. Mithun also expressed his disappointment at not making the players list in the IPL auction last month.
Unlike the past years, it has been a regular feature to see Mithun run across the pitch in animated celebration after delivering a breakthrough for his state team. With skipper and Karnataka's long-time lead bowler R Vinay Kumar moving on to Pondicherry at the start of the season and Sreenath Arvind taking up a coaching role, Karnataka has much to thank Mithun for, for coming to the party.
The senior pro has chaperoned a young attack, while also putting in the performances himself with 10 wickets in eight matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 competition and 20 wickets in nine matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy — with a hat-trick in either of the tournaments. In the Ranji Trophy this season, he already has 13 wickets in his kitty from three of the four matches Karnataka has played.
"I've been reading a lot on the need to be athletic and I realised that to grow as a fast bowler, I needed to work more on my running technique. Last season, I did well and that gave me a lot of confidence. In white-ball cricket, the team began relying on me and I've been doing well in the death overs. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (2018-19) win was a huge confidence booster,” Mithun told Times Sportal.
"I worked more on my batting and backed myself. Now I'm more aware of what I can and can't do and my skills, and I believe in it more than ever before," he said.
The 30-year-old thanked the state team's coaches Yere Goud and Arvind, his former partner-in-crime, for the upward climb.
"What works for us as a team is that Yere sir and Arvind don't put any pressure. They allow us to play our natural game and express ourselves. From my first Ranji Trophy match, I've played with Arvind, so there is a comfort level. Whenever I've had a doubt, I've always turned to him. His biggest contribution is positivity. He's always urged me to believe in myself and think positively,” he said.
Though he expressed his disappointment at being left out of the IPL auction — having worked hard on his white-ball game — it's his positivity that keeps Mithun going.
"I was very disappointed when I didn't find my name in the auction list. I haven't played in IPL for the past two years, so I worked on my white-ball cricket. I don't know what else I can do. I can only control what's in my hand and that's to perform to the best of my ability and I'll continue to do that," Mithun added.
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