Veteran Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who last week formally announced his retirement from all cricket formats, has bared all about the up-and-down ride of his career. The 42-year-old, who is best known for his biting leg-breaks and tricky googlies, conceded captaincy biases tended to dictate team lineups, but insisted he has no regrets as he waves goodbye to the game.
Amit Mishra’s Career in Numbers
Mishra’s global career was a stop-start affair with moments of brilliance. He accumulated 76 wickets in 22 Tests and 64 wickets in 36 ODIs, along with 16 scalps in 10 T20Is. His final international appearance was in 2017 against England in Bengaluru, in which he bowled a tight spell but took a backseat from Yuzvendra Chahal’s six-wicket return.
In the IPL, however, Mishra achieved legendary status with 174 wickets in 162 games, including a hat-trick in the inaugural 2008 edition. He remains one of the most successful Indian spinners in the tournament’s history.
“Sometimes You’re In, Sometimes Out”
Looking back on his erratic spell with Team India, Mishra said to PTI, “It was disappointing. At times you are in the team, at times out. Of course, it was frustrating, but my dream was to play for India. I remained positive and focused on working my fitness, batting, and bowling.”
He acknowledged that competition from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja made it harder to cement a place in the XI during the 2010s, when their styles perfectly suited captains MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s strategies.
IPL Hat-Trick: The Defining Moment
Mishra pinpointed his 2008 IPL hat-trick for Delhi Daredevils as the turning point in his career.
“That match turned my life around. I had been going well in domestic cricket already, but the IPL brought me into the limelight and provided a route back into the international team,” he remembered.
He also attributed his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy performances as pivotal stepping stones which re-ignited his international hopes.
On Captains and Favourites
Coming blunt on selection dynamics, Mishra said, “Some players are captain’s favourites. But that doesn’t matter much. You just have to prove yourself when you get a chance. When you perform, everything changes.”
He also spoke about how rejecting Indian batting legends Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, and Virat Kohli in the IPL made him proud, as they were greater challenges than foreign players.
Emotional Farewell Without Regrets
Though there were fluctuations, Mishra asserted that he departs cricket contented, “Not everyone receives a dramatic farewell, but that is all right. What I am concerned about is I gave my everything. Cricket has given me respect, identity, and meaning. I played with passion and gained love from fans and colleagues.”
From making a memorable debut in Mohali against Australia in 2008 where he took five wickets and won Player of the Match to sharing dressing rooms with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and captains like MS Dhoni, Mishra’s 25-year journey leaves behind a legacy of perseverance and skill.
