Former India leg-spinner Amit Mishra (అమిత్ మిశ్రా) says Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble promised him a place back in the India team after he got injured in 2017, and that the call never came. In an interview with Aakash Chopra, reported on 23 October 2026, Mishra said Kohli asked for "a week or 10 days" once he was fit and then stopped answering his calls and messages. This is his version only. In the reports we read, neither Kohli nor Kumble has responded.
He is in the news twice this week. Two days earlier, on 21 October, Delhi Capitals named him spin bowling coach for IPL 2027. It is his first IPL coaching job, and it's with the franchise where his IPL career began in 2008. Below you'll find what he said, why his India career stopped, when he retired, his full numbers and a Telugu summary.
Quick facts: Amit Mishra at a glance
- Who: Amit Mishra, right-arm leg-spinner, born 24 November 1982 in Delhi. He is 43 and turns 44 next month.
- Retired: From all cricket in September 2025, aged 42.
- India career: 2003 to 2017. 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is.
- IPL: 162 matches, 174 wickets and three hat-tricks, the most by any bowler in the competition.
- New role: Delhi Capitals spin bowling coach for IPL 2027, announced 21 October 2026.
- The claim: Kohli and Kumble assured him of a comeback after a 2017 injury, and then the communication stopped.
What Amit Mishra said about Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble
Telugu outlets including Sakshi and MyKhel Telugu, and English sites like LatestLY, carried his account. Pieced together, it goes like this.
1. The 2017 injury in Bengaluru
Mishra said he hurt his leg during a 2017 match in Bengaluru. Anil Kumble was India's head coach then. Kumble told him not to worry and said he would be back in the side once he was fit.
2. The captain's assurance
Virat Kohli had just been made captain. Mishra says Kohli told him the same thing: get fit, and you will "definitely" be in the team.
3. The follow-up that went nowhere
Once he had recovered, Mishra says he went back to Kohli. Kohli asked for "a week or 10 days". Sakshi's version says "one or two weeks". After that, Mishra says, his calls and messages went unanswered, so he stopped trying.
4. The question he says he still can't answer
Mishra also said that players with worse injuries than his were brought back, but he wasn't. He says he still doesn't know why he was left out.
Telugu headlines have used much harsher wording than Mishra did. MyKhel Telugu's headline reads "కోహ్లీ, కుంబ్లే మోసం చేశారు" ("Kohli and Kumble cheated him"). In the reports, Mishra comes across as frustrated and confused about what happened. He doesn't accuse anyone of wrongdoing.
Have Kohli or Kumble responded?
Not so far. None of the reports we read, in Telugu or English, includes a reply from Virat Kohli or Anil Kumble. Remember that selection is decided by the selection committee, not only by the captain and coach. Promises of a place, even sincere ones, don't always survive a selection meeting. We will update this story if either of them comments.
Why did Amit Mishra's India career stop after 2017?
His interview explains why this still bothers him. He was not dropped after a run of poor form. His last few months for India were some of his best.
- October 2016: He was Player of the Series in the home ODI series against New Zealand. He took 15 wickets, including 5/18 in the deciding game, and India won the series 3–2.
- 29 October 2016: That deciding game against New Zealand turned out to be his last ODI.
- 20 December 2016: His last Test, against England.
- 1 February 2017: His last T20I, against England.
Then came the injury. From mid-2017, India's white-ball selectors turned to younger wrist-spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Mishra was 34 by then, and he never played for India again. His account fills in the part fans never saw: the private assurances he says he was given, and the silence that followed.
When did Amit Mishra retire, and how old is he?
Mishra retired from all forms of cricket in September 2025, at the age of 42. His last competitive IPL match was for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024. He was born on 24 November 1982, so he is 43 now and will turn 44 next month.
Amit Mishra career stats
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 22 | 76 | 5/71 | vs Australia, Mohali, 17 Oct 2008 |
| ODIs | 36 | 64 | 6/48 | vs South Africa, 13 Apr 2003 |
| T20Is | 10 | 16 | 3/24 | vs Zimbabwe, 13 Jun 2010 |
| IPL | 162 | 174 | 3 hat-tricks | 2008, Delhi Daredevils |
| First-class | 152 | 535 | – | – |
Career highlights
- Zimbabwe, July 2013: 18 wickets in an ODI series. That equalled Javagal Srinath's record for a bilateral series, and Mishra did it in fewer matches.
- 2013 Champions Trophy: He was part of the India squad that won the title.
- New Zealand, 2016: Player of the Series with 15 wickets.
Amit Mishra's IPL record and his Hyderabad connection
Mishra was one of the IPL's most consistent spinners for 17 seasons. He is the only bowler with three IPL hat-tricks, and he was the first to take three. Two of them came in Hyderabad colours, which is why Telugu readers remember him well.
- 2008: Hat-trick for Delhi Daredevils
- 2011: Hat-trick for Deccan Chargers
- 2013: Hat-trick for Sunrisers Hyderabad
His IPL teams:
- Delhi Daredevils/Capitals: 2008–10 and 2015–21
- Deccan Chargers: 2011–12
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2013–14
- Lucknow Super Giants: 2023–24
New job: Delhi Capitals spin bowling coach for IPL 2027
Delhi Capitals announced on 21 October 2026 that Mishra will be their spin bowling coach for IPL 2027. In a DC video, as reported in Telugu, he called Delhi his "heartbeat". He said he was happy to start his coaching career there and wants to help win the title fans have waited for. Delhi have never won the IPL.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Sourav Ganguly |
| Assistant and batting coach | Yuvraj Singh |
| Fast bowling coach | Chaminda Vaas (continuing) |
| Spin bowling coach | Amit Mishra |
Mishra joins a backroom staff full of former India players. Our story on Yuvraj Singh's appointment as DC assistant and batting coach covers that side of the rebuild. For other IPL 2027 off-season news, see our explainer on the Rohit Sharma Mumbai Indians captaincy report and denial. Another spinner from Mishra's era has also moved into an off-field role. Read about it in our piece on Pragyan Ojha and the selection committee.
అమిత్ మిశ్రా: తెలుగులో సారాంశం
భారత మాజీ లెగ్ స్పిన్నర్ అమిత్ మిశ్రా, ఆకాశ్ చోప్రాతో జరిగిన ఇంటర్వ్యూలో విరాట్ కోహ్లీ, అనిల్ కుంబ్లేలపై అసంతృప్తి వ్యక్తం చేశారు. 2017లో బెంగళూరులో జరిగిన ఒక మ్యాచ్లో కాలికి గాయమైనప్పుడు, అప్పటి హెడ్ కోచ్ కుంబ్లే "కంగారు పడొద్దు, ఫిట్ అయ్యాక జట్టులోకి వస్తావు" అని చెప్పారని మిశ్రా తెలిపారు. అప్పుడే కెప్టెన్ అయిన కోహ్లీ కూడా "ఫిట్ అవ్వు, జట్టులో తప్పకుండా ఉంటావు" అని హామీ ఇచ్చారట.
ఫిట్ అయ్యాక కోహ్లీని మళ్లీ అడిగితే వారం, పది రోజులు సమయం అడిగారని, ఆ తర్వాత తన కాల్స్కు, మెసేజ్లకు స్పందించలేదని మిశ్రా చెప్పారు. తనకంటే తీవ్రమైన గాయాలైన ఆటగాళ్లను తిరిగి జట్టులోకి తీసుకున్నారని, తనను ఎందుకు ఎంపిక చేయలేదో ఇప్పటికీ తెలియదని అన్నారు. ఇది మిశ్రా చెప్పిన వెర్షన్ మాత్రమే. ఈ ఆరోపణలపై కోహ్లీ గానీ, కుంబ్లే గానీ ఇంకా స్పందించలేదు.
- పుట్టిన తేదీ: 24 నవంబర్ 1982, ఢిల్లీ (ప్రస్తుతం 43 ఏళ్లు)
- రిటైర్మెంట్: సెప్టెంబర్ 2025లో, 42 ఏళ్ల వయసులో అన్ని ఫార్మాట్ల నుంచి
- అంతర్జాతీయ కెరీర్: 22 టెస్టుల్లో 76, 36 వన్డేల్లో 64, 10 టీ20ల్లో 16 వికెట్లు
- ఐపీఎల్: 162 మ్యాచ్లు, 174 వికెట్లు, మూడు హ్యాట్రిక్లు (ఐపీఎల్లో అత్యధికం)
- హైదరాబాద్ అనుబంధం: డెక్కన్ ఛార్జర్స్ (2011–12), సన్రైజర్స్ హైదరాబాద్ (2013–14). ఈ రెండు జట్ల తరఫున ఒక్కో హ్యాట్రిక్ తీశారు
- కొత్త బాధ్యత: ఐపీఎల్ 2027 కోసం ఢిల్లీ క్యాపిటల్స్ స్పిన్ బౌలింగ్ కోచ్ (21 అక్టోబర్ 2026న ప్రకటన). హెడ్ కోచ్ సౌరవ్ గంగూలీ, అసిస్టెంట్ కోచ్ యువరాజ్ సింగ్
Which Amit Mishra is this?
Several people share the name, including other cricketers and a playback singer. This article is about Amit Mishra the India and IPL leg-spinner, born in Delhi in 1982, who played for Delhi, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants.
What to watch next
Two things could come next. The first is a reply from Kohli or Kumble, which would be news in itself, since neither has commented so far. The second is Mishra's first season with Delhi Capitals, where his job is to get the most out of DC's spinners in IPL 2027. For more sports and trending stories as they break, visit the KyunTrend homepage.