Shortly after making his ODI debut in 2003, the leg-spinner found himself out of the Indian team. Former India cricketer Amit Mishra has revealed that he battled depression during the early years of his career. It was at this point, Mishra revealed, that he entered a dark chapter.
In a candid interaction with former India opener and reputed commentator Aakash Chopra , Mishra shared that he went through this desolate phase for more than a year. During this time, he had no one to turn to.
I was playing everywhere, but the only question in my mind was that, ‘what did I do wrong?’,” said Mishra. “I went into depression for a year and a half. I kept thinking about what my mistake was.
Mishra ultimately made his comeback into the Indian team in October 2008, making his Test debut against Australia. He went on to represent India in 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is. The leg-spinner is also one of the most successful bowlers in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, with 174 wickets in 162 games.
“Then a selector told me that I was not performing. sat down and thought, and I understood that I was thinking of playing for India itself but not performing in domestic cricket,” Mishra stated. I was told to work on batting as well, and I did that too. Even my coach had told me this,” Mishra said.
“I had played for India but got dropped. Then I was not in the Duleep Trophy. I was not in the India A team for zonals. I could not understand what was happening with me. One season went badly. “I had nobody to talk to during my bad time, to be honest. I could not tell my family either. I could not discuss these things with anyone. I was on my own. But I realised that until I perform, things would not work. I did decently well in one season, then I was picked for the Duleep Trophy. Then I realised this is how things will work. I had no godfather, so I knew I had to keep proving myself. He is the only player to take three hattricks in the IPL.
