The international career of former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra concluded on a sour note in February 2017, when he sustained a leg injury during a T20 International against England in Bangalore. Mishra has now revealed that he received explicit assurances of a comeback from both head coach Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli at that time. However, once he regained full fitness, the support he had been promised failed to materialise, leaving him without clarity or communication from the leadership.
Mishra made these revelations during an episode of the podcast Baith & Bol with former India cricketer Aakash Chopra. He described how Kumble initially reassured him about his prospects of returning to the team following the injury. When Kohli assumed the captaincy, Mishra sought clarity on his selection prospects and believed he received a firm commitment from the new leader as well.
"When I was leaving after getting injured, Anil Kumble was the coach. So I told Anil Bhai, I said, 'Anil Bhai. Don't worry. As soon as you get fit, you automatically... you will come back,'" Mishra recalled as quoted by NDTV Sports.
What did Anil Kumble tell Mishra after the injury?
After Kumble's tenure ended and Kohli took over as captain, Mishra approached him with the same question about his future in the national team. Kohli's response at that moment seemed equally reassuring, giving Mishra confidence that he had a clear route back to international cricket. Then, Virat Kohli became the captain after this.
"Brother, what needs to be done?' He said, 'You don't worry. Get fully fit and comfortable, and you are there [in the team],'" Mishra said.
What promise did Virat Kohli make to Mishra?
Once Mishra recovered from his injury, he reached out to Kohli to discuss his return to the national squad. The response he received was markedly different from the earlier promise. Kohli told him he would provide an update within seven to ten days, but that communication never materialised.
"So, I went to him. I asked, 'Brother, what's the situation?' So he said, 'I will let you know in a week to ten days.' Then brother, one week passed, two weeks passed, three weeks passed, there was absolutely no update from him. I called him... so, he did not pick up the call. I messaged him, but there was no reply," Mishra said.
Mishra's attempts to follow up with Kohli yielded no results. He made multiple calls and sent messages, but received no acknowledgement or explanation from the captain. The silence left him without clarity on his selection status or the reasons behind the change in approach.
"I called again, he did not answer. I called twice more, still nothing... so I also let it go. Then I thought, 'Brother, what can we do?' When someone does not want you, what can you do? When players who got more severely injured than you, and were injured for much longer, made their comebacks... yet, I have never received any answer to this day," Mishra added.
Mishra pointed out that other players who suffered more serious injuries and spent longer periods away from the team were accommodated back into the squad upon regaining fitness. He noted that this standard protocol was not extended to him, despite the earlier assurances from both Kumble and Kohli. The lack of communication or explanation added to his disappointment about how his international career concluded.
