Why Amit Mishra seems to have a problem with Virat Kohli

Veteran India leg-spinner Amit Mishra recently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, ending a career that lasted more than 20 years. The 42-year-old played his last international match in 2017 but kept going in domestic cricket and the IPL, most recently playing for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024.

Mishra’s retirement has also brought fresh attention to his strained equation with former India skipper Virat Kohli. After announcing his retirement, Mishra appears to have taken a subtle dig at Kohli again. Reflecting on his career, he spoke about how certain captains had their “favourites” when it came to picking players.

“Some players are 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,” Mishra told PTI.

More from First Cricket

'We are very happy ...': BCCI opens up on playing Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 amid criticism 'I want to milk my body as much as I can...': Mitchell Starc reveals real reason behind retirement from T20Is

Does Mishra has a problem with Kohli?

Over the past year, Mishra also made some explosive remarks about Kohli, suggesting that the star batter changed a lot after gaining fame, money, and captaincy. Speaking on a YouTube show last year, Mishra explained that while Rohit Sharma has stayed the same person over the years despite captaining India for so many years, Kohli’s personality changed after he became the top man of Indian cricket.

“I won’t lie. As a cricketer, I respect him a lot, but I don’t share the same equation with him as I used to. Why does Virat have less friends? His and Rohit’s natures are different. I’ll tell you the best thing about Rohit. When I met him the first day and when I meet him today, he is the same person. So will you relate to him more or with someone who changes according to situation?” Mishra had said.

“I have seen Virat change a lot. We had almost stopped talking. When you get fame and power, they think people are reaching out to them for a purpose. I was never one of those. I have known Cheeku since the time he was 14, when he used to eat Samosas, when he needed Pizza every night. But there is a huge difference in the Cheeku I knew and Virat Kohli, the captain. Whenever he meets me, he is very respectful, but it’s obviously not the same anymore,” Mishra added.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

Many people feel that Mishra has a problem with Kohli. Mishra played several games for India during Kohli’s rise, but never really consolidated his place in the team due to multiple factors. One could be the rise of Indian spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, another could be the emergence of more talents like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and others.

Mishra’s fitness may also have played a part in his snub, given how strict Kohli was regarding fitness during his tenure as captain. This could be one of the reasons why Mishra played just 18 matches under Kohli’s captaincy and was never called for white-ball matches after Kohli became captain in 2017.

Mishra maybe feels that Kohli didn’t support him as much as he did for other players despite playing together for so many years from age-group cricket onwards. Even though Mishra didn’t take any names while commenting on his time in the Indian camp, where he was often brought in and then left out, it appears that he blames the captains, especially Kohli, for not having a longer India career.