Amit Mishra says Virat Kohli stopped replying after promising India recall

Amit Mishra said on Aakash Chopra's podcast on 2026-10-24 that Virat Kohli ceased responding to his calls and messages after assuring him he would be considered for a return to the India team once fully fit.

Mishra recounted that his hopes of an international comeback were raised during recovery from a serious injury sustained in India's 2017 T20I series against England, when he trapped his leg in a hole in muddy, rainy conditions and was sidelined for several months. He described an extended rehabilitation that included repeated setbacks over eight to nine months. At the time, coach Anil Kumble told him, "Don't worry. As soon as you get fit, you'll automatically come back," and Mishra said Kohli also reassured him: "Don't worry. Get fully fit, take your time, and you're there [in the team]."

After regaining fitness Mishra said he returned to competitive cricket and produced performances in domestic matches and the IPL that he believed merited consideration for India. During an IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru he approached Kohli to ask about his prospects; according to Mishra, Kohli told him he would give an update within "a week or 10 days."

When the promised update did not arrive, Mishra said he attempted to follow up repeatedly. "One week passed, two weeks passed, three weeks passed, but there was absolutely no update from him. I called him, but he didn't pick up. I messaged him, but there was no reply," he said, and he added that further calls and messages went unanswered before he stopped trying.

Mishra expressed frustration that, despite performing before his injury and after his recovery, he never received a clear explanation about his international future. "I had performed well before getting injured. I was injured during a match. Even today, I have never received an answer," he said, noting that other players had returned after long injury layoffs while he continued waiting for clarity.

He said he remained willing to undergo any assessment required by team management to prove his fitness. "I had performed in domestic cricket. I had performed in the IPL as well. If you have concerns about my fitness, tell me. I'll work on it, come back and take a trial or a fitness test, whatever is required," Mishra said, describing the steps he was prepared to take to reassume international contention.

Mishra continued to play domestic cricket and in the IPL before eventually deciding to retire, and he identified the absence of a definitive explanation about his India prospects as his biggest regret. "That chapter is over. I've moved on from it, and I'm focused on the next phase of my life. I don't think about it now," he said.