Former Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who was recently appointed as the spin bowling coach of the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the forthcoming IPL 2027 season, has revealed that he battled depression for 18 months after being dropped from the Indian team.
Speaking to former Indian opener Aakash Chopra on YouTube, Mishra disclosed that he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting chances to play for the national team and how it affected him mentally.
“I went into depression for a year and a half. I kept thinking about what my mistake was. I was playing everywhere, but the only question in my mind was that, ‘what did I do wrong?’” Mishra said.
Mishra was also overlooked for the Duleep Trophy and the India A zonal setup. Unsure why he was not getting opportunities, he eventually received feedback from a selector about his performances, which prompted him to reassess his approach.
Further, Mishra realised that he had been too preoccupied with making a comeback to the Indian team instead of concentrating on delivering consistent performances in domestic cricket.
“Then a selector told me that I was not performing. I sat down and thought, and I understood that I was thinking of playing for India itself but not performing in domestic cricket,” he added.
Having made his international debut in 2003, Mishra was soon dropped from the national team, citing poor form. However, he returned to the team five years after his debut, playing 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is for India, claiming 156 wickets across formats.
Mishra now joins a short list of ex-cricketers – Sourav Ganguly (head coach), Yuvraj Singh (Assistant coach) and Chaminda Vaas (Fast bowling coach) at the Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season.
