"From today, you are one year younger" - Amit Mishra makes a shocking confession about age fraud
Veteran Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra has admitted that he has been involved in age fraud. During a candid interview on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube Channel, he conceded that his coach asked him to decrease his age by one year when he was a youngster.
Mishra made his debut for India in 2003. While he age was documented as 21, his actual age at that time was 22. The cricketer added that his coach convinced him to 'reduce' his official age by one year.
"Let me tell you, I have a one-year discrepancy, and my coach helped with that. I didn't even know about it. The coach called my home and asked for one more year for me.
"It was quite an emotional story. I was surprised and asked, 'How?' He said, 'From today, you are one year younger; now you have two more years.' I agreed," Mishra was quoted as saying by ndtv.com
Interestingly, Mishra and Rohit Sharma had a chat during IPL 2024 on the sidelines of a match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. During the interaction, Rohit jokingly asked Mishra if he was really 41.
"You made your debut when we in our nappies. That's when you made your debut. You made your debut when you were 20?" Rohit questioned. Mishra replied, "Yes. 20-21."
Shedding more light on the cheeky banter, the leg-spinner added that he too asked Rohit whether he was really 37.
"Not diapers, but he said when we were young. I told him, 'I also watched someone play when I was young.' Many people start playing early; it doesn't mean they are now 45 or 50.
"He laughed and said, 'I'm 37.' I later confirmed and said, 'Are you really 37?' He laughed and didn't say anything," Mishra added.
Mishra played only one match for LSG during IPL 2024. Coming in as the Impact Sub against Rajasthan Royals in Lucknow, he registered figures of 1-20 from two overs, getting the wicket of Riyan Parag for 14.
Amit Mishra on the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
On the same podcast, Mishra claimed that while Virat Kohli has changed as a person with fame and reputation, Rohit has remained the pretty much the same as a human being. Sharing his thoughts on the two superstars of Indian cricket, he said:
"I won't lie. As a cricketer, I respect him Kohli a lot, but I don't share the same equation with him as I used to. Why does Virat have less friends? His and Rohit's natures are different.
"I'll tell you the best thing about Rohit. When I met him the first day and when I meet him today, he is the same person. So will you relate to him more or with someone who changes according to situation?"
Mishra (41) has featured in 68 matches for India across the three formats and has claimed 156 wickets. He has two five-fers in one-dayers and one in Tests.