‘MS Dhoni told me I don’t fit the combination, Virat Kohli said I’ll let you know but never did’: Amit Mishra

India’s veteran spinner Amit Mishra has blamed former Indian captains like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for not communicating with him regarding his national selection. Mishra said Dhoni told him he doesn’t fit the combination whereas Kohli didn’t revert after promising to do so.

Mishra had a decent India career, playing 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is to pick up 156 wickets. The leg-spinner hasn’t yet announced his International retirement but there is no denying the fact that he has played his last game for the national team.

The 41-year-old played his last game for India, a T20I match against England in February 2017, returning with figures of 1-23 in his quota of four overs.

“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 said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show ‘Unplugged’.

Mishra said the management told him they were resting him despite the leg-spinner not asking for it.

“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.”

Mishra further added he didn’t get a clear picture from Virat Kohli about his future despite performing well against New Zealand.

“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.

“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.”