In the competitive world of cricket, team selection can be a challenging and often opaque process. For one Indian spinner, this reality hit hard when he faced direct feedback from two of India’s most prominent cricket captains. MS Dhoni, known for his tactical acumen and leadership, candidly informed the spinner that he did not fit the team’s combination. On the other hand, Virat Kohli, the aggressive and dynamic skipper, promised to keep the spinner in the loop but ultimately left him in uncertainty. This spinner’s experience sheds light on the complexities and often harsh realities of professional cricket, where talent alone sometimes isn’t enough to secure a spot in the team.
MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli: Revolutionaries of Indian Cricket
1.Legendary Captains:
- MS Dhoni: Only captain in the world to win all three major ICC trophies.
- Virat Kohli: India’s most successful skipper in Tests
2.Influence on Players:
- Under their leadership, numerous players debuted and completed their careers.
- Some players became bonafide superstars, while others faded away.
3.Case Study: Amit Mishra:
- Debuted under Anil Kumble.
- Played under both Dhoni and Kohli.
- Career hindered by multiple factors, with injuries being a significant issue.
Amit Mishra had a respectable career with the Indian cricket team, featuring in 22 Tests, 36 ODIs, and 10 T20Is, amassing a total of 156 wickets. Despite these achievements, his career ended on an anticlimactic note. Although he has not officially announced his retirement, it’s evident that he has likely played his final game for India. Mishra’s exit from the team could have been handled better. In a candid conversation, he shared experiences that left him disheartened, notably recalling a 2010 Test against Bangladesh where he took 7 wickets and scored a fifty, yet still found himself excluded from the Playing XI in the subsequent match.
“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,” Amit Mishra revealed on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show ‘Unplugged’.
ALSO READ:“Amit Mishra: Virat Kohli Changed with Fame and Power of Captaincy, Has Few Friends in Team; Rohit Sharma Still the Same”
“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, so why would I ask for a rest or break? To be honest, 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. During this time, he featured in India’s 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and was cementing his position as one of the IPL’s all-time great spinners. However, even as his captain changed from Dhoni to Kohli, Mishra’s luck continued to desert him. If he 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 was 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. Back then, the rule was that if you got injured while playing, you were given an automatic comeback. This 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 Virat Kohli to give me a clear picture about my career. He said, ‘Mishy bhai, I’ll ask and let you know.’ Kohli helped me in my comeback series against Sri Lanka in 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 couldn’t lift weights like him, but I could run and do whatever else was needed. 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.”
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During the IPL, our last match was against RCB. I asked Virat Kohli to give me a clear picture about my career. He said, ‘Mishy bhai, I’ll ask and let you know.’ Kohli helped me in my comeback series against Sri Lanka in 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 couldn’t lift weights like him, but I could run and do whatever else was needed. 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.
