'Being liked matters a lot in team selection. Just playing good cricket isn't enough': IPL's 7th-highest wicket-taker reveals conversations with Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni

Indian team has a large talent pool and some players manage to fall out of radar even when they have not been poor on the field. Sometimes injury plays a big role and the position gets filled by someone else which makes selectors and captain stick with the combination that is already working. Veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra considers himself unlucky in this regard as he did not get the long rope under MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli despite consistent performances in domestic cricket. Mishra claims that getting selected in the team is not only performance-based but the player has to be likable as well. 
 

Mishra said that he was given rest which he didn't need and ask for when Dhoni was captain. Later, the legendary captain told him that he does not fit into the team combination.
 

"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 channel. 
 

"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."

 

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Mishra claims bias after injury ruled him out of action

While Mishra was impressive with the red-ball, he had great success in Indian Premier League (IPL). The 41-year-old revealed the worst phase of his career when an injury sidelined him. He had been adjudged 'Player of the match' and 'Player of the series' against New Zealand but still did not find a place in the squad. He recalled getting a chance under Kohli's captaincy but towards the end he did not get a clear answer.
 

"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.

 

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"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."
 

Mishra’s career in numbers

Mishra has 76 wickets from 22 Tests. He has been handy with the bat as well scoring 648 runs at an average of 21.60 including four fifties. He has 64 and 16 wickets in ODIs and T20Is respectively. His last appearance on the international stage was in 2017 in a T20I match against England where he took one wicket. The leg-spinner is currently the seventh-highest wicket-taker in IPL. Currently with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he has 174 wickets from 162 games.
 

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