Last season, Mayank Mishra took 59 wickets in eight Ranji Trophy matches, the second most in the competition. When Central Zone named its squad for the Duleep Trophy, he was not in it. Did any selector reach out to explain? “No one actually,” he says.

Then he takes a deep breath and carries on. “When I don’t find myself anywhere after getting 59 wickets in 8 matches, it just made me think that I have to just do the process all over again. If after getting 59 wickets in a season, you won’t get any recognition or you won’t get selected for anything, you don’t think too much after that because it was a bit disappointing for me.”

There are possibly strong reasons for the selectors to have looked past him. India’s left-arm spin riches are overflowing, Central Zone had Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey in the squad, and Mishra is 36.

Was the omission disheartening? “Definitely, definitely,” he says. “I cannot describe it in words to be honest. I have been bowling good in domestic cricket over the last few years.…