Former Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra has firmly dismissed long-standing rumours suggesting MS Dhoni hindered his international career. In a candid interview, Mishra highlighted Dhoni’s pivotal role in his breakthroughs and comebacks, crediting the former captain for consistent backing amid fierce competition from spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The veteran, who featured in 22 Tests, 36 ODIs, and 10 T20Is between 2008 and 2017, emphasized that his team entries happened under Dhoni’s leadership.
Amit Mishra clarifies misconceptions linked to MS Dhoni
Mishra directly addressed the narrative that his career might have flourished more without Dhoni, calling it shortsighted. “People say if Dhoni was not there, my career would have been better. But who knows—if he was not there, maybe I would not even have been in the team,” he stated during a MensXP interview, underscoring his multiple returns to the side under Dhoni’s tenure. He portrayed Dhoni as a supportive figure who valued his skills, enabling comebacks despite the depth in India’s spin department during that golden era.
This perspective reframes Mishra’s intermittent playing time as a product of team balance rather than favouritism. Dhoni’s trust ensured Mishra’s opportunities, even as preferences shifted toward left-arm options in white-ball cricket. Mishra’s remarks, surfacing amid ongoing cricket nostalgia, humanize the pressures faced by fringe players in a star-studded lineup.
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Dhoni’s crucial guidance to Mishra in his final ODI spell
Mishra vividly recalled Dhoni’s on-field mentorship during his last ODI series against New Zealand in October 2016, a decisive fifth match in Visakhapatnam. India posted 269, and with New Zealand chasing, Mishra initially focused on containment, bowling defensively after entering in the ninth over. Dhoni intervened after two overs, urging him to revert to natural aggression: “You are not bowling what you naturally bowl. Don’t think a lot and bowl what you always do.“
This advice sparked Mishra’s career-best ODI haul of 5/18, dismantling New Zealand for 79 in 23.1 overs to seal a 190-run win and a 3-2 series triumph. “It was a game-changing spell… His thinking was that if I did not pick wickets, we would lose,” Mishra reflected, praising Dhoni’s tactical clarity. Post-match, Dhoni lauded the effort, noting Mishra’s 15 wickets across the series earned him Player of the Series honors.
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