After more than 20 years in the game, veteran Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra announced on Thursday that he was retiring from all forms of cricket. The 42-year-old Haryana cricketer continued to play in the IPL until the 2024 season, having last represented India in 2017.
Mishra, the only bowler to record three IPL hat-tricks, told PTI, “I have decided to retire.”
According to a statement from Mishra, the decision was made mostly because of the necessity for the younger generation to take over and the recurrent injuries. The leg-spinner played 22 Test matches, 36 ODIs, and 10 T20s for India. He took 64 wickets in ODIs and 76 wickets in Test cricket.
In his stellar first-class career, Mishra took 535 wickets, while in List A and T20 cricket, he took 252 and 285 scalps, respectively. He grabbed 166 wickets for four different teams in the IPL alone, including SunRisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, and LSG, at an incredible average of 23.98 and a very respectable economy rate of 7.36.
Five years after making his India debut in an ODI match against South Africa in 2003, Mishra earned his Test debut against Australia in 2008 as a traditional leg-break bowler. Mishra had to wait for his Test cap because Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh started the majority of the matches at home.
Mishra had a great debut, taking five wickets in the first innings against Australia at Mohali in 2008 before taking a few more in the second innings. In the end, it was his only five-wicket haul in the traditional format.
“These 25 years (first class debut in 2000) of my life in cricket have been nothing short of memorable. I am deeply grateful to the BCCI, the administration, Haryana cricket association, the support staff, my colleagues, and to my family members who were with me all this while. I would like to thank the fans whose love and support whenever and wherever I played made the journey memorable. Cricket has given me countless memories and invaluable learnings, and each moment on the ground has been a memory I’ll treasure for life,” Mishra said in a statement issued later.
During the 2024 IPL season, he played his final competitive match for the Lucknow Super Giants. Following the arrival of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, his international career came to a standstill.
Mishra also mentioned his wish to continue coaching and commentating on the game.
