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Veteran spinner Amit Mishra, who bid adieu to a 25-year journey in professional cricket on Thursday, revealed how the Indian Premier League (IPL) helped him financially and became a platform for his comeback.
Mishra also said that former Indian opener Virender Sehwag called him and wanted the wrist spinner in his team. "IPL helped me a lot financially. Plus, for my comeback, that platform helped me a lot. After 5 years, I was selected in IPL because at that time, Leg spinners were not considered for T20. Viru Bhai [Virender Sehwag] called me and told me that he wanted me in his team because I had played well in T20," Mishra told ANI. Mishra burst into the international scene in 2003, when he made his ODI debut against South Africa at Dhaka during the TVS Cup. It was a modest outing for him, bowling a five-over spell, scything the solitary wicket of Neil McKenzie and returning with figures of 1/29. Since introducing himself to the world, Mishra went missing in action for roughly half a decade. With the rise of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble being at the peak of their prowess, the room was too cramped for Mishra to make a place for himself. During his five years of exile, Mishra put in the hard yards for Haryana in the domestic league, trying to sway the selectors' minds. His sole ambition was to perform even when people around him didn't trust in his skill set. Mishra made his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils in 2008, led by Sehwag. He leaves an unforgettable legacy in IPL, with 174 scalps in 162 matches. He finished as the IPL's seventh-highest wicket-taker, at an average of 23.82 and an economy of 7.37. He is the only bowler in IPL history to grab three hat-tricks, remarkably achieved for three different teams: Delhi Daredevils (2008), Kings XI Punjab (2011), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2013). Mishra expressed sadness that the importance of leg spinners as wicket-takers was recognised late, citing legendary Shane Warne and Anil Kumble as examples. "I took the hat-trick and took five wickets, and I made a comeback in the Indian team and started doing well in T20. I am very sad that very late people recognised that wicket-taker has always been leg spinners, look at Shane Warne and Anil Bhai [Anil Kumble]," he added. Mishra finished with 68 appearances across all formats and scalped 156 wickets while donning the Indian jersey. (ANI)
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