Captain’s favourites got chances: Senior India star hints at 'frustrating' selection bias after retirement

Speaking to PTI after drawing curtains on his career, Mishra opened up on the frustration of constantly being in and out of the team and not getting a lengthy rope. He claimed that some players were the captain’s favourites, but admitted he always focused on proving himself whenever given a chance.

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"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. Some players are captain's favourites. But that doesn't matter much. You just have to prove yourself whenever you get a chance," Mishra said.

"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.

Mishra primarily played under MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, comprising 52 international matches between his 2003 debut and his final outing in 2017.

Mishra also opened up about his career-changing moment, which came in IPL 2008. He picked up a hat-trick against Deccan Chargers, dismissing the likes of Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs. His 5 for 17 in that match helped him return to the Indian team.

"I'd say the defining moment was the hat-trick I took in the 2008 IPL, where I also took five wickets in the match. From there, I made a comeback to the Indian team. Before that, I was consistently performing well in domestic cricket, taking 35-45 wickets every season, but I couldn't get back into the national team.

"That IPL hat-trick changed things for me. I had also performed well in Syed Mushtaq Ali the preceding year taking 25 wickets, which helped me get an IPL contract (Delhi Daredevils).

"After that hat-trick, I was back in the Indian team continuously and my career in T-20 also started. So, that hat-trick with five wickets in 2008 will be a defining moment of my life," he said.

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