Amit Mishra accuses Virat Kohli of favoritism after retirement
Published - 05 Sep 2025, 02:40 PM | Updated - 05 Sep 2025, 11:34 PM
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Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game. Amit Mishra retired with 156 wickets in 68 international games. However, the 42-year-old didn’t just hang up his boots quietly, but he also attacked his former captains, including Virat Kohli.
The former Indian leg-spinner has expressed his years of frustration, where his talent was often overshadowed by selection politics and favoritism. Despite showcasing his craft across formats, he remained on the fringes, constantly struggling for a spot in the playing XI.
Amit Mishra targets Virat Kohli for favoritism in his era
He made his India debut in 2003, and his final international appearance came in 2017, which was a T20I against England. However, the pain of not getting opportunities because of politics and favoritism never completely went away.
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After the retirement, Mishra, who first played under MS Dhoni and later Virat Kohli, launched a scathing attack on the former Indian captain by accusing them of giving chances to certain “chosen” ones while others like him were forced to prove their worth every single time.
I was frustrated many times: Amit Mishra recalls his India stint
Amit Mishra was quoted as saying by PTI, “It was a very disappointing thing. Sometimes you're in the team, sometimes you're out. Sometimes you get a chance in the playing eleven, sometimes you don't. Of course, it's frustrating, and I was frustrated many times, no doubt. Some players are the captain's favorites. But that doesn't matter much. You just have to prove yourself whenever you get a chance.”
The former cricketer further noted, “Whenever I was frustrated, I thought about what I could improve on. Whether it was my fitness, batting, or bowling, I always focused on getting better. Whenever I got a chance to play for the Indian team, I performed well, and I'm very happy about that. I never shied away from hard work.”
Even earlier, Mishra had once claimed that Kohli was very different when he first came into the team, but his personality changed once he became captain. He had said that Kohli’s behavior and the way he interacted with his teammates completely changed when he became India's captain.
Amit Mishra recalls a hat-trick that changed everything
Meanwhile, Mishra recalled the IPL 2008 as the turning point of his career. Playing for Delhi Daredevils, the leg-spinner stunned everyone by taking a hat-trick, including the wickets of Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs, against Deccan Chargers.
Mishra finished with magical figures of 5 for 17, and that performance paved the way for his comeback to the Indian cricket team.
Before the 2008 IPL season, he was consistently performing well in domestic cricket, taking 35-45 wickets every season, but couldn't get back into the Indian team. Since that hat trick earned him an India recall, he called it a “defining moment” of his career.
It was defining moment of my life: Amit Mishra
He signed off by saying, “That IPL hat trick changed things for me. I had also performed well in Syed Mushtaq Ali the preceding year, taking 25 wickets, which helped me get an IPL contract.
"After that hat-trick, I was back in the Indian team continuously, and my career in T-20 also started. So, that hat trick with five wickets in 2008 will be a defining moment of my life.”
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