Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra, one of the highest wicket-takers in Indian Premier League, has admitted to have done age fudging. During a candid chat on a podcast, Mishra, who plays for Lucknow Super Giants at present, admitted that his coach asked him to decrease his age by one year while he was a youngster.

In what is a big revelation of age fraud, Mishra revealed he was actually 22 years old when played his debut match for India in 2003, instead of the 21 which was documented. It was his coach who convinced him to make the required change.

“Let me tell you, I have a one-year discrepancy, and my coach helped with that. I didn’t even know about it. The coach called my home and asked for one more year for me. It was quite an emotional story. I was surprised and asked, ‘How?’ He said, ‘From today, you are one year younger; now you have two more years.’ I agreed,” said Mishra on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.

That ”Arre yaar” felt personal pic.twitter.com/oZ9nsYZao7

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 1, 2024

The topic was discussed on the podcast after the IPL 2024 chat between Amit Mishra and Rohit Sharma was brought about. As Mumbai Indians took on Lucknow Super Giants, Rohit had poked fun at Mishra, asking if he was really 41.

“You made your debut when we in our nappies. That’s when you made your debut. You made your debut when you were 20?” added Rohit before Amit Mishra replied: “Yes. 20-21.”

When asked to share insights on the conversation he had with Rohit, the veteran spinner revealed that he also asked the Hitman if he was really 37.

“Not diapers, but he said when we were young. I told him, ‘I also watched someone play when I was young.’ Many people start playing early; it doesn’t mean they are now 45 or 50. He laughed and said, ‘I’m 37.’ I later confirmed and said, ‘Are you really 37?’ He laughed and didn’t say anything,” Mishra revealed.

“If I had questioned that are you 37, what would have happened? But I thought, it’s okay, we were joking, and he joked with me. And that’s how it is with me, joking around with him. It’s been going on for a long time, not just today,” he added.