Simple desires

“I have seen life in a one-bedroom flat with four brothers and three sisters sharing space. There were times I used to go for practice without money to even buy a bus ticket. I have seen my brothers and parents struggle to make ends meet. All that made me more determined, it made me sweat extra hours because I knew if I made it big in cricket, I could fulfill my responsibility towards my family. Today, I am happy I could give my family accha mahaul rehne ke liye (a good life),” he says.

“Playing a Test match was a dream come true but honestly, my biggest achievement has been the fact that I could get two of my sisters married off in a grand manner, we have moved out of that one-bedroom flat to two rented floors in Patel Nagar and my new flat is nearing completion,” he says, his satisfaction reflected in his boyish smile.

And all though this while, Gambhir has been with him, as has been his coach, the Haryana Cricket Association and its chief Ranbir Singh Mahendra.

“These people are the pillars of my life. Even during my time in wilderness, they kept telling me I was good and it was only a matter of time before I made it to the Indian team,” he says.

Facing the odds

On the field too, Mishra has seen several ups and downs — he broke into the one-day team early in 2003, then did rounds of domestic cricket and fought off a shoulder surgery to earn a Test call-up five years hence. He made a marvellous Test debut, then saw a near drought in his second Test.

... contd.