‘MS Dhoni told me I don’t fit the combination, Virat Kohli said I’ll let you know but never did’: India spinner’s ordeal

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Two revolutionaries of Indian cricket. Amazing batters and even greater captains. Dhoni did what no other captain in the world has been able to – win all three major ICC trophies, while Kohli went on to become India’s most successful skipper in Tests. Under them, several players made their debuts and even finished their careers. Some stuck around, others faded, but the ones that did became bonafide superstars of the game. But then, there were also those that were neither here nor there. On occasions, they would shine through, but most of the time leaves a lot to be desired. One such case is Amit Mishra. The veteran India spinner made his debut under Anil Kumble, played under both Dhoni and Kohli, but was undone by plenty of aspects – injury unfortunately being the prime factor.

Mishra had a decent India career, playing 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is to pick up 156 wickets but had an anticlimactic end to his career. He may not have officially announced his retirement but it won’t require a rocket scientist to figure that he has played his final game for India. Then again, his way out of the team could have been better. Mishra, in a candid chat, revealed certain instances that left a bitter taste in his mouth starting with a 2010 Test against Bangladesh. He picked up 7 wickets in the match and scored a fifty, and yet it wasn’t enough to secure Mishra a place in the next game’s Playing XI.

“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 on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show ‘Unplugged’.

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“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.”

Mishra didn’t get clarity from Virat Kohli either

Mishra kept making sporadic appearances for India in Tests until 2011, before being sidelined. In the meantime, he featured in India’s 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and was cementing his position as one of IPL’s all-time great spinners. But even as Mishra’s captain changed from Dhoni to Kohli, his luck continued to desert him. If Mishra didn’t get a clear answer from Dhoni, Kohli also kept him in a state of limbo. Mishra’s last nine Tests were under Kohli’s captaincy during the 2015-2016 season before the leg-spinner got sidelined again without getting too many answers.

“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.

“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.”