Amit Mishra announces retirement from professional cricket
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New Delhi: Veteran India leg-spinner Amit Mishra on Thursday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, ending a career spanning more than 15 years, PTI reported.
Having last played for India in 2017, the 42-year-old Haryana cricketer continued to feature in the IPL till the 2024 edition. Mishra confirmed his retirement to PTI over the phone.
"I have decided to retire," said Mishra.
Mishra represented India in 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20s.
He was a classical leg-break bowler who made his Test debut against Australia in 2008.
It was a successful debut for Mishra as he took a five-wicket haul in the first innings before picking a couple more in the second innings.
Amit Mishra's start-stop international career had two distinct phases.
First was spent dealing with the immense pressure of expectations that came with replacing the legendary Anil Kumble, PTI writes.
The second part was about dealing with the competition that came with the emergence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja -- one an off-spinner and the other a left-arm slow orthodox, who suited Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli's plans to the 'T'.
"It was a very disappointing thing. Sometimes you're in the team, sometimes you're out. Sometimes you get a chance to play eleven, and sometimes you don't. Of course, it's frustrating, and I was frustrated many times, no doubt," Mishra told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview after announcing his retirement from competitive cricket.
"But then you remember that your dream is to play cricket for India. You are with the national team, and millions of people are working so hard just to be there. You are one of the 15 players on the Indian team. So, I tried to stay positive," he added.
Despite his evident talent, Mishra admitted that being in and out of the Indian team was mentally tough.
"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," he added.
