From a potentially fatal injury to an IPL contract for INR 2.2 crore, resilient Shushant Mishra is prepared for the grind at home

Five years ago, as the director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and coach of the India Under-19 team, Rahul Dravid was watching over a left-arm bowler from Jharkhand who was maturing into a talent pool of young players. India won the 2019–20 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, although in a nail-biting final, Bangladesh denied them.

A number of them players eventually joined the senior men’s squad, while others had to wait their turn.

In 2023, the IPL auctions will take place in Dubai for the first time. Nine uncapped cricket players, many of whom were also signed by Gujarat Titans for a staggering 2.2 crore, secured multimillion-dollar contracts. Sushant Mishra, of Jharkhand, was one of these players.

The 23-year-old was interviewed by CricketNext at Delhi’s Palam Cricket Ground the day before Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy match against the hosts Services. He arrived immediately after a strenuous net practice, but the effort disappeared from his face as he thought back to the time he was struck by the hammer.

“I once left my house to go to a friend’s place because it was so tense.” I went to the terrace since it was still too cramped. And when the bidding started, he said, “Main to emotional ho gaya tha (I got emotional).”

Individuals possessing Mishra’s phone number began to call him. However, he was also anticipating a call from his parents. And he took no time at all to pick up his mother’s name when he saw it flash on the screen. And when he got home, there was a small group of people praising him for his accomplishment at his door.

He sat down with his parents the next day, and the whole family shared in the emotion.

“My mom started crying. There were far too many people congratulating us at our house. We didn’t have enough time to do the job. He said, “I spoke to them the following day, and they were very pleased of me. Being his parents’ only child, Sushant saw their struggles as a kid.

The family was once shocked when his father lost his job. The young player said that their perseverance in the face of hardship was due to both cricket and the grace of God. My father in particular had endured a great deal of hardship. He had a job loss once, and our finances were precarious. He started practicing with me, but no one around him ever gave him encouragement. However, Mishra said, “Cricket and football provide a lot of support for each other.

Speaking about difficulties, Mishra remembered an incident from 2018 in which he severely injured his shoulder while diving for Jharkhand during an Under-19 match. The only thing that could save his career was surgery. They needed time to organize the funds, which caused the procedure to be postponed. Even though the therapy was too expensive, Mr. and Mrs. Mishra remained optimistic about their child’s future.

“Even if surgery is not performed, there is still a chance of success. According to the physicians, my only chance of continuing to play was surgery. However, our financial situation wasn’t all that great. We didn’t have the money right away. For my parents to gather the necessary 3–4 lakhs and have the surgery, it took over 4 months. However, life isn’t exactly easy sailing for cricket players, he said.

And for this reason, among others, he is excited to collaborate with GT head coach Ashish Nehra, who throughout his career had to deal with surgeries and continued to pull off incredible comebacks.

“I’m quite excited to collaborate with Nehra, sir. His experience has been motivational. Despite several injuries, he persisted in going back to the Indian dressing room, and in the latter part of his career, he even made it to the T20Is. Thus, it’s a major event in a cricket player’s career,” Mishra said.

The left-arm fast, who had originally intended to be a batter, decided to take up cricket after India’s 2011 World Cup victory and the Dhoni impact. Mishra, a Ranchi native, was inspired by the local hero as well and even had the chance to speak with him face-to-face.

“I’ve mostly encountered him on the training ground. Every time I talk to him, we talk about cricket. I learnt a lot about that specific pitch or circumstance,” he said.

The COVID-19 epidemic caused cricket in India to stop, therefore Mishra had to wait more than a year to make his debut at home after representing his nation in the Under-19 World Cup.

After winning his first cap in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Delhi in December 2021, he has gone on to play ten List A matches and take 15 wickets at an economy rate of 5.63. In seven First-class games and four Twenty20 matches, he has taken 20 wickets. He has not yet participated in the Ranji Trophy 2024.