'No reply to this day': Amit Mishra reveals shocking cold shoulder from Virat Kohli after 2017 comeback snub originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Amit Mishra claims Virat Kohli never replied after promising him a return once he was fit.
- Mishra dialled Kohli several times but got no response.
- His last India appearance came in February 2017, ending a career of 68 internationals.
Amit Mishra accuses Virat Kohli of breaking comeback assurance
Amit Mishra says he is still waiting for an answer from Virat Kohli, nearly a decade after a comeback that he believed was coming but never arrived.
The veteran leg-spinner has spoken about his failed return to the India side, and he claims the then captain promised him another chance but went silent once he had recovered from injury.
According to Mishra, the trouble began when he hurt his leg during a T20I against England in Bengaluru. He said that Kohli urged him to focus on his recovery and assured him that he would be back in the team as soon as he was fit.
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In an interview with Aakash Chopra, Mishra revealed “I also asked Virat Kohli, 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 got in touch with Kohli once his rehabilitation was done, hoping to hear about a return. Kohli, he said, asked him to wait for a week before the captain came back to him.
Mishra said: “So he said, ‘I will let you know in a week to ten days.’ Then, brother, one week passed, two weeks passed, three weeks passed; there was absolutely no update from him. I called him… he did not pick up the call. I messaged him, but there was no reply.”
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What Amit Mishra wanted from Virat Kohli: A response and a fair chance to prove fitness
A big part of Mishra’s frustration comes from the form he had shown before he was hurt, and from what he saw happening to other players.
He asked why those who had suffered worse injuries and spent longer away from the game were brought back after regaining fitness, while he never got a clear answer.
Mishra said: “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 that once it became clear there would be no clarity, he decided to move on and not keep asking for an explanation.
Mishra said: “When someone does not want you, what can you do?”
He was in an impressive run of form before the injury. In India’s five-match ODI series against New Zealand in 2016, Mishra took 15 wickets and was named Player of the Series.
His best day came in the decisive fifth ODI in Visakhapatnam on October 29, when he took 5 for 18 as India won by 190 runs to clinch the series 3-2, and he was named Player of the Match.
Despite that dominant spell, he was never able to re-establish himself in the side after his injury.
Mishra stressed that he would have accepted any honest reply, even a negative one, as long as it had a reason behind it. He said that he had performed in domestic cricket and in the IPL, and that he was ready to take a fitness test or a trial if that was the issue.
“If they had just told me even this much: ‘Brother, work on your fitness,’ or give some response like, ‘We are simply not looking at you,’ or ‘We are done with you,’ whatever it was," he added.
"But there should be some basis to it as well, right? Either that you weren’t performing, or that you aren’t performing now. I came after performing in domestic cricket; I performed in the IPL.
"What more do you expect from me? If it’s about fitness, tell me, and I’ll work on fitness and come back. Take a trial or take a fitness test, whatever it is. But I didn’t get any answer; I never got a clear answer. That’s the only issue.”
Why clear communication matters in selection decisions
Mishra’s account is one side of a story, and it should be read that way, since Kohli has not been heard. Even so, the central complaint is a fair one that applies well beyond this case.
Players can accept being dropped when they are told why, but they find it very hard to accept silence, especially when the last message they received was an assurance.
A senior player who had just taken 15 wickets in a series deserved at least a clear answer on fitness, form or selection plans, and a short phone call would have cost very little. It is also fair to note that captains do not control selection alone, so the picture may be more complicated than a missed call.
Indian cricket has often been criticised for how it handles veterans at the end of their careers. A simple system, with a named person responsible for telling players where they stand, would prevent stories like this one from surfacing years later. Mishra’s career deserved a proper full stop.
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