Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra, who remains one of the highest wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League history, has made some explosive revelations about his time under Virat Kohli in the Indian cricket team. Mishra also played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, and claimed that the wicket-keeper batter was always honest with him about his inclusion and exclusion from the team. However, Mishra has suggested that it wasn’t the same case with Virat who never gave him a clear answer despite being asked.
Mishra, during a chat on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show ‘Unplugged‘, made quite an explosive claim as he said that being good at your skill isn’t the only thing that is required to consistently remain a part of the Indian team, being liked is also important.
“Being liked matters a lot in team selection. Just playing good cricket isn’t enough. The captain always decides the Playing XI. I had an excellent rapport with MS Dhoni. I asked him twice why I wasn’t getting picked, he told me that I don’t fit the combination,” he said.
“I was told that I was being given a rest. I never asked for it. I hadn’t even played 10 Test matches by then, why would I ask for a rest or break? If I have to tell you honestly, I wasn’t in a position [to question Dhoni]. Yes, I asked the coach, and he told me to go ask Dhoni, but like I said, I wasn’t in that position to go and ask Dhoni. I asked the coach again and he just said we are giving you rest,” he added.
Mishra then revealed the ‘worst feeling’ he ever got in his career, saying he was forced to take rest after picking up a knee injury. While the rule was that injured players, upon making full recovery, were automatically selected in the team, the same didn’t happen with Mishra.
“The worst I’ve felt in my career was when I picked up a knee injury five years ago. It happened in between the match. The series before I was the Man of the Series and the Man of the match against New Zealand. And this used to be the rule back then, not sure if it still happens but if you get injured while playing, you are given an automatic comeback. It happened with Wriddhiman Saha, Anil Kumble and Hardik Pandya, but I never got it,” said Mishra.
It was during an IPL game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru that Mishra managed to confront Kohli and ask about his place in the team. The veteran spinner claimed that Virat promised him he would ask the management and respond but he never did.
“During the IPL, our last match was against RCB. I asked him to give a clear picture about my career. He said ‘Mishy bhai, I’ll ask and let you know’. Virat Kohli helped me in my comeback series against Sri Lanka – 2016. I was doing well and India needed a leg-spinner who could bowl in Sri Lanka. When I came back, he said, ‘from today, you will train for fitness with me’. I told him I can’t lift weights like you but I can run and whatever else you want. Then I got injured so I asked him again, but I never got a clear answer. I messaged him. He read the text and said ‘I’ll let you know’ but never did,” he revealed.
