• Source:JND
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Amit Mishra reflected on his career as an Indian player as he broke his silence for the first time after announcing his retirement from international cricket at the age of 42.

Mishra said that uncertainty around getting a place in the team sometimes got pretty frustrating. His career witnessed two phases, one of which was dealing with the expectations after replacing the legendary Anil Kumble, whereas the other came with the competition after the emergence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

"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," Mishra said.

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"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.

Having impressed in every chance he got, Mishra ended his career with 76 wickets in 22 Tests but never became a regular in the setup. Despite his sharp leg-break and impactful googly, Mishra became the third option after Ashwin and Jadeja.

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"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.

The veteran leg-spinner went on to mention his take on various captains having their preferred choice of bowlers, and also that there was nothing wrong with it.

"Some players are the captain's favourites. But that doesn't matter much. You just have to prove yourself whenever you get a chance. As I said, these things don't matter. Sometimes a player who performs better than you is liked more, but when you start performing, it all changes." He always found bowling to Indian batters more challenging than overseas players in the IPL.

"Whenever I took the wicket of a well-known Indian player, I felt proud. Someone like Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, or Virat Kohli-they are the kind of players who can change the game at any moment.