Amit Mishra made his international debut in 2003 with two successive one-day internationals, having made his first class debut way back in 2000-01.
However, just two wickets didn't help his cause much and he was sent into exile. An exile that was anything but self-imposed and a phase where he worked hard, but was hardly noticed.
The period of darkness lasted a full five years. And it was not an easy phase by his own admission.
"Those five years were difficult but I did learn a lot during that time," Mishra told reporters in Mohali on Sunday. "I acquired a lot of variations in my repertoire."
The inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) offered him a ray of hope. And to his credit, Mishra did well to climb up as far as possible. His performance for the Delhi Daredevils -- that included a hat-trick -- meant he could dream big again, having seen light at the end of the tunnel.
Thereafter he remained in the radar of the selectors and they eventually rewarded him with a place in the 14-member squad for the four-Test series against Australia. And an injury to incumbent captain ensured the breakthrough Mishra was long waiting for -- a place in the playing XI.
Needless to say for someone who had waited for so long it was a golden opportunity and he grabbed it with both hands. His five for 71 on debut helped bowl out the might Aussies for 268 and give India a vital 201-run lead on day three of the second Test.
And Mishra, approaching 26, suddenly found himself basking in the limelight. Something he wasn't used to.
The fact that he has trouble in answering questions asked in the Queen's Language (questions in Hindi are most welcome) didn't make things any better. But he was, after all, the man of the moment.
"It feels great to take five wickets on debut," he confessed. "It was definitely a big match for me. And I always thought that whenever I was asked to bowl, I should bowl to take wickets."
But wasn't the fact that the batsmen in front of him hailed from the world's top-ranked team something that ensured nervousness? "I never thought I was playing against Australia. So there was no pressure."
And which of the five wickets was the one he cherished most? "Michael Clarke, I felt, was the best among the five," he said. "He was performing quite well for a long time and his dismissal was a crucial breakthrough for us."
With him doing so well on debut and Kumble struggling with form and fitness, the selectors are definitely going to have a tough time ahead. Not that it concerns Mishra.
"That's not my job. I just have to concentrate on performing," he said, before going on to explain the encouragement that came from Kumble.
"Anil bhai has always supported me. It is a big thing for me as it comes from a bowler with over 600 Test wickets," admitted Mishra. "Before the Test he told me to bowl just as I usually do but just keep working on the variations." But Kumble is not his idol. That happens to be
"Shane Warne," he said. "I talked to him for five minutes during the IPL and that increased my positive thinking. I'll try to talk to him for a longer period the next time I meet him," he added.
Another person whom Mishra credited his success to is former player and current selector Narendra Hirwani.
"I have always talked to Hirwani as a leg spinner and never as a selector," gushed Mishra. Hirwani on his part said he had predicted a day before that Mishra would take a five-wicket haul. The leggie, who himself took 16 wickets on debut, and his colleagues are going to have a tough time now but they are not complaining.
"It is nice to know that we have so many options now. And ultimately the best man will make it to the team," clarified Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of Selectors, before praising the efforts of Mishra.
"He has got the break at the right time," he said. "He has a quick confidence about him and we have told him that he will be around for long." Having got a good start, the backing of selectors and attention from the media, it is up to Mishra now to build a solid career on the newfound platform.
