Amit Mishra has played 37 (13 Tests, 23 ODIs and 1 T20) international matches, but he has never the “first-choice” of any captain that he has player under. More often than not, Amit Mishra has only been a passenger in the tours that he has made with Team India. During his initial days, he played under the shadow of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, and now, he is waiting for MS Dhoni is think beyond his favorite spin duo of Ravichnadran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Amit Mishra’s life, at the international level, has never been easy. His good performances has been overlooked and he has been penalized every time he has failed to perform. But, Amit Mishra has never really complained about anything. He lets his ball to do the talking.
In the upcoming T20 World Cup, Amit Mishra, in my opinion, can be Mahnedra Singh Dhoni’s most lethal weapon. Amit Mishra is an attacking bowler. He is someone who bowls to pick wickets. He has developed great control over his leg spin and also has some good variations up his sleeves.
Amit Mishra is the second highest wicket taker in the Indian Premier League (IPL). With 95 wickets in 76 games, Mishra is second only to Lasith Malinga, who has 103 wickets. He has also taken 3 hat-tricks. Because of his consistent performances, Mishra was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for 4.75 crore, in this year’s IPL auctions.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s most preferred option, has only 64 wickets from 67 IPL matches. And, Ashwin’s recent form has been horrible to say the least. In my opinion, Amit Mishra deserves to be in the playing XI, ahead of Ravi Ashwin, in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
On the slow, turning tracks of Bangladesh, Amit Mishra’s spin can provide great variety to India’s bowling unit, that already consists of Jadeja and a couple of handy off-spinners. Jadeja is not an attacking spinner. He bowls a consistent wicket-to-wicket line and waits for the batsman to make mistake. On the other hand, Amit Mishra can bowl more wicket-taking deliveries and attack from the other end.
In the upcoming T20 World Cup, Amit Mishra can be a late-bloomer and invaluable asset for India thanks to his crafty bowling. Mishra should be given more opportunities to play and should not be kept as a mere passenger.
