A confident and attacking cricketer, Amit Mishra first caught the eye while tormenting the England Under-19 tourists early in 2001 with big legbreaks and the odd fizzing googly. Mishra, at his best on dry pitches, rapidly became an integral cog in Haryana's Ranji Trophy side, taking wickets by the bagful in typically Indian conditions. Mishra was called into a large Indian squad for the West Indies series at home in October 2002, but was disappointed not to be given a chance. The absence of several senior players after the World Cup led to another call-up for the TVS Cup in Dhaka in April 2003. Since then, though, he has dropped off the selectors' radar, only resurfacing in 2007, when called up to the A team to take on South Africa A in two four-day matches at home. He ended the 2007 first-class season with an impressive 46 wickets in 11 games. Those performances convinced the selectors to include him in the Test squad against the Australians at home in 2008. He got his chance in Mohali, replacing the injured Anil Kumble, and became only the sixth Indian to take a five-wicket haul on debut.
Anand Vasu October 2008