Amit Mishra has claimed that Virat Kohli promised him an India comeback and then stopped responding to his calls. Speaking to former India opener Aakash Chopra on the Baith and Bol podcast, the leg-spinner said Kohli assured him of a return after injury but went silent once Mishra regained fitness. The Mishra Kohli account has stirred debate about how senior players treat teammates on the fringes.
“I will let you know in a week to ten days. Then, brother, one week passed, two weeks passed, three weeks passed, there was absolutely no update from him. I called him… he did not pick up the call. I messaged him, but there was no reply,” Mishra said.
Mishra injured his leg during a T20I against England in Bengaluru. Kohli, then the India captain, told him: “You don’t worry. Get fully fit and comfortable, and you are there [in the team].”
The Mishra Kohli phone calls that never came
According to Mishra, the wait stretched from days into weeks with no word from the captain. He said he tried calling Kohli directly, but the calls went unanswered, and his messages drew no reply. The leg-spinner was left to draw his own conclusions as the promised timeline slipped away.
The timeline Mishra described was specific. A week to ten days became one week, then two, then three, with no update at all. Mishra said he called and messaged, but the captain did not pick up or reply. The Mishra Kohli story, as told on the podcast, is one of a promise made and never followed up.
The episode dates back to a period when Mishra was among India’s most effective limited-overs spinners. The injury against England in Bengaluru halted his momentum, and the Mishra Kohli exchange, as he tells it, left him expecting a recall that never arrived.
A decorated career cut short
Mishra’s record gives the story its weight. He was Player of the Series in India’s five-match ODI series against New Zealand in 2016, taking 15 wickets including 5 for 18 in the Visakhapatnam decider. His final international appearance came against England in February 2017.
Across his career, Mishra played 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is, 68 internationals in all, taking 76, 64 and 16 wickets respectively. Those numbers place him among the more productive Indian spinners of his generation, even if his opportunities at the top level were limited.
Mishra’s 156 international wickets came across those 68 appearances, and the 15 wickets in the 2016 ODI series against New Zealand remain his finest hour. For a leg-spinner competing in an era of strong Indian spin options, the record was a solid one, which is why the comeback promise mattered to him.
The Mishra Kohli story has also sent fans back to Mishra’s playing record. His 5 for 18 in the Visakhapatnam decider against New Zealand during the five-match series in 2016 sealed the series, and it was that kind of form he believed would earn him a recall.
Dhoni, Kumble and the Mishra Kohli fallout
Mishra also spoke warmly of M S Dhoni, crediting the former captain with boosting his confidence at a time when he was being compared with leg-spin great Anil Kumble. He added that Kumble, during his stint as India coach, also assured him of a comeback.
The contrast with the Mishra Kohli story is hard to miss. While Dhoni and Kumble backed him publicly, Mishra says Kohli’s promise faded into silence. Kohli has not responded publicly to the claims, and the account remains Mishra’s version of events.
Mishra told his story in a relaxed podcast setting rather than as a formal accusation. Even so, the Mishra Kohli exchange has now travelled fast, adding another chapter to the long-running conversation about how Indian cricket handles players on the margins. The story also underlines how much weight a captain’s word carries with a player fighting for his place.