'Relaxed mindset' key to Ishant's consistency

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Ishant Sharma says bowling with a "relaxed mindset" has worked wonders for him in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Ishant, who played a key role in Sunrisers' seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, said he is pleased with the way IPL 6 has gone for him so far.

"I have been going in with a relaxed mindset these days, which is something that has worked for me in the IPL. I have been consistent throughout the tournament. My economy rate has been close to seven, which I feel is fair enough to have in this format of the game. I am pretty happy with the way I am bowling," he said.

Against Mumbai Indians, Ishant was the most effective of Sunrisers' bowlers, picking two wickets for 15 runs from his four overs, including a maiden over and the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and in-form Dinesh Karthik.

"I assessed the conditions and tried to execute whatever set plan we had for each batsmen. I bowled according to my strengths, without thinking about the batsman," Ishant told iplt20.com.

"I am pleased that we did well as a collective bowling unit. We kept things simple, without trying anything extraordinary, and did our basics right today."

Sunrisers restricted a formidable Mumbai Indians to 129 and then chased down the target with 12 balls to spare.

"It is a tremendous feeling to get Sachin Tendulkar's wicket," Ishant said.

"When I started playing cricket, I never felt I would someday bowl to Tendulkar or be playing against him. It is a big moment for any bowler to get the wicket of one of the best batsmen in the world."

Ishant bagged the wickets of Tendulkar and Karthik in the same over, the fifth of the innings.

"He did a great job by keeping the Mumbai batsmen silent and taking crucial wickets.

"I guess we bowled well in pairs and did a great job in restricting Mumbai to 129," he said.