There were two major phases to Amit Mishra’s start-stop international career. The first phase of his career was spent under the immense pressure of living up to the expectations that came with replacing the legendary Anil Kumble.
The second phase saw him navigating the stiff competition from the rise of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja—one an off-spinner and the other a left-arm orthodox, both perfectly fitting the plans of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Mishra’s 76 wickets in 22 Test matches won’t be a fair evaluation of his bowling abilities because the grammar of Test match batting had changed by then. Despite having a fast leg-break and an alluring googly, he was only utilized as a third option after Ashwin and Jadeja.
Talking to PTI Videos after announcing his retirement from competitive cricket, Mishra said, “It was a very disappointing thing. Sometimes you’re in the team, sometimes you’re out. Sometimes you get a chance in the playing eleven, sometimes you don’t. Of course, it’s frustrating, and I was frustrated many times, no doubt.”
“But then you remember that your dream is to play cricket for India. You are with the national team, and millions of people are working so hard just to be there. You are one of the 15 players in the Indian team. So, I tried to stay positive,” he added.
Mishra said that it was mentally taxing to be in and out of the Indian team, despite his evident talent.
“Whenever I was frustrated, I thought about what I could improve on. Whether it was my fitness, batting or bowling, I always focused on getting better. Whenever I got a chance to play for the Indian team, I performed well, and I’m very happy about that. I never shied away from hard work,” he added.
Mishra consistently performed well, but someone else would always emerge as the star, much like Ashwin and Jadeja in red-ball cricket.
Ironically, Mishra’s final international appearance was a Twenty20 International against England in Bengaluru in 2017, where he took 1/33 in four overs in the batting haven of Chinnaswamy Stadium. When viewed in isolation, these are truly outstanding figures.
However, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took 6/25 in the same game. Mishra never again played for India, not even in Twenty20 Internationals, despite being an IPL legend with 174 wickets in 162 games, including a hat-trick in the first edition in 2008.
Mishra attributes his Test comeback to the IPL since his performances were immediately noticed.
“I’d say the defining moment was the hat-trick I took in the 2008 IPL, where I also took five wickets in the match. From there, I made a comeback to the Indian team. Before that, I was consistently performing well in domestic cricket, taking 35-45 wickets every season, but I couldn’t get back into the national team.
“That IPL hat-trick changed things for me. I had also performed well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy the preceding year taking 25 wickets, which helped me get an IPL contract (Delhi Daredevils).
“After that hat-trick, I was back in the Indian team continuously and my career in T-20 also started. So, that hat-trick with five wickets in 2008 will be the defining moment of my life,” he said.
Mishra expressed his opinion that there was nothing wrong with different captains selecting the bowlers they wanted.
“Some players are captain’s favourites. But that doesn’t matter much. You just have to prove yourself whenever you get a chance. As I said, these things don’t matter. Sometimes a player who performs better than you is liked more, but when you start performing, it all changes.”
In the IPL, he always found it harder to bowl to Indian batsmen than to overseas players.
“Whenever I took the wicket of a well-known Indian player, I felt proud. Someone like Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir or Virat Kohli, they are the kind of players who can change the game at any moment.
“You can trouble a foreign player with your skill, but with these guys, you know them in and out. When you get one of their wickets, you get a different, very positive feeling. I would say all Indian batsmen are difficult for a spinner to bowl against.”
On a trip down memory lane, he recalled how captain Anil Kumble told him about his debut before the 2008 Mohali Test match against Australia.
“Anil bhai told me in the morning of the match that he was injured. I played that match against Australia and took five wickets, which was a huge moment for me. It was a big thing to fill the shoes of Anil Kumble. There was pressure and I am glad that I won Player of the Match on debut.”
Mishra stated that he has no regrets about saying goodbye, despite the emotional rollercoaster.
“I’ve played cricket for 25 years across three decades with legends like Sachin Tendulkar, under leaders like MS Dhoni, and with current stars like Rohit Sharma. Now that I’m slowly stepping away, it’s emotional, of course. Cricket gave me everything — respect, identity, and purpose.”
Mishra is realistic about gently leaving the game and knows where he stands.
“Not everyone gets a grand farewell or big press conference, and that’s okay. What matters to me is that I gave everything I had. I played with heart. I performed whenever I got the opportunity.
“And I’ve earned the love of fans and the respect of my peers — that’s my biggest achievement.”
