Amit Mishra accuses Virat Kohli of ignoring him & breaking promises
Former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra recalls his injury setback and unsuccessful attempt to return to the national team.
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Amit Mishra was one of India’s best leg-spinners during his international career. Known for his variations, he represented India across all three formats and produced several memorable performances.
The leg-spinner made his international debut in 2003 and went on to play 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India. He was particularly effective in the longer format, where he took 76 wickets in 22 matches.
Now, speaking on former India cricketer Aakash Chopra’s podcast Baith & Bol, Mishra recalled the injury he sustained during India‘s T20I against England in Bengaluru in February 2017. He claimed that then head coach Anil Kumble assured him he would return to the team once he regained full fitness.
Mishra said he spoke to Kumble while leaving after the injury. According to the leg-spinner, the former India captain and coach told him not to worry about his place in the team.
“I got my leg injured during that time in Bangalore. When I was leaving after getting injured, Anil Kumble was the coach. So I told Anil Bhai, I said, ‘Anil Bhai…’. He said, ‘Don’t worry. As soon as you get fit, you automatically… you will come back,'” Mishra recalled.
He also spoke to Virat Kohli, who was leading India at the time. Mishra claimed Kohli gave him similar assurances and asked him to focus on recovery before thinking about his return to the national side.
“Then, Virat Kohli became the captain after this. I also asked Virat; I said, ‘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.
However, according to the former spinner, things did not go as expected after he recovered from the injury. Mishra claimed that he contacted Kohli to ask about his chances of returning to the Indian team.
He said Kohli told him that he would provide an update within a week to ten days. Mishra alleged that several weeks passed without a response, despite his attempts to contact the former India captain.
“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, one week passed, two weeks passed, three weeks passed; there was absolutely no update from him. I called him… but he did not pick up the call. I messaged him, but there was no reply,” Mishra said.
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The leg-spinner added that he tried calling Kohli again but did not receive a response. Eventually, he decided to stop reaching out to him, as he felt there was nothing more he could do to earn another chance with the national team.
Mishra also expressed disappointment over what he viewed as a difference in how injured players were treated. He claimed that some players who had suffered more serious injuries and spent longer periods on the sidelines were given opportunities to return to the team after regaining fitness.
According to Mishra, he did not receive the same opportunity despite recovering from his injury. He said he had still not received an answer about the situation.
“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,” he said.
Mishra’s final international appearance came against England in the third T20I in Bengaluru on February 1, 2017. India won by 75 runs, but it became his final match for the national team.
Despite his successful spells in the Indian Premier League, Mishra never made an international comeback after the injury. His latest comments have offered his perspective on the circumstances surrounding the end of his India career.
What allegations has Amit Mishra made against Virat Kohli?
Mishra claims Kohli stopped responding to his calls and messages, despite having promised him a return to the Indian team.
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