What did Amit Mishra say about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in his recent interview?

Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra made some interesting observations regarding two of the country’s biggest cricketing superstars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in his recent interview. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, he claimed that while Kohli has changed with fame and leadership, Rohit has remained pretty much the same person despite achieving a lot of success at the top level.

Kohli and Rohit played key roles in Team India's triumph in the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States. While Kohli struggled for most part of the ICC event, he was the Player of the Match in the final against South Africa in Barbados, scoring 76 off 59 balls. Rohit led from front for the Men in Blue, hammering 257 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 156.71.

Sharing his thoughts on Kohli and Rohit's behavior patterns over the years, Mishra claimed that the former has changed a lot after achieving fame and doesn't have too many friends, while the latter is more or less the same person.

"I won't lie. As a cricketer, I respect him 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," Mishra was quoted as saying by India Today.

"I have seen Virat change a lot. We had almost stopped talking. When you get fame and power, they think people are reaching out to them for a purpose... But there is a huge difference in the Cheeku I knew and Virat Kohli, the captain. Whenever he meets me, he is very respectful, but it's obviously not the same anymore," Mishra added.

41-year-old Mishra has played 68 matches for India across the three formats and has picked up 156 scalps, with two five-fers in ODIs and one in Test matches.

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Amit Mishra hints at being treated unfairly by MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

In the interview, he also claimed that being liked matters a lot in team selection and that just playing good cricket is not enough. Taking indirect digs at former captains MS Dhoni and Kohli, he said that he was not given a clear picture about his place in the Indian team.

“Just playing good cricket isn't enough. The captain always decides the Playing XI. I had an excellent rapport with MS Dhoni. I asked him twice why I wasn't getting picked, he told me that I don't fit the combination," Mishra commented.

The leg-spinner added that he contacted then captain Kohli a few years ago to discuss about his comeback from an injury. Mishra claimed that he received a text from Kohli which read, 'I'll let you know', but added nothing happened after that.