Veteran Indian spinner Amit Mishra recently cleared the air over media reports that falsely implicated him in a "baseless" domestic violence and dowry harassment case. He strongly denied the charges and clarified that he is "unmarried."
"I'm extremely saddened to see these unsubstantiated stories being circulated. My picture has been used in a fabricated story. I am unmarried, everybody knows that, but these unsubstantiated stories keep getting printed with my face. What are these media organizations doing? If they don't correct this error, I will sue them. This has greatly upset my family. This is not journalism," Mishra said in a statement to IANS on Tuesday.
Mishra's reaction follows media reports that a cricketer and his family had been involved in a dowry harassment case, where there was a claim of a Rs 1 crore compensation by his 'wife' and dowry demands of Rs 10 lakh and a car. While the reports did not mention Mishra by name, some publications published his photo with the report, leading him to voice his dismay.
On social media site X (previously Twitter), Mishra restated his stance: "I've always had respect for the press, but although the news itself might have some truth to it, the photo that's being used is mine, which is entirely untrue. Having my picture used for unrelated news stories must stop right away, or I'll have to take legal action."
Sanjay Bhardwaj, the long-time coach of Mishra, was also upset about it. "Amit Mishra is not married. We fail to understand how such a rumour was floated. This isn't journalism. They should first confirm facts before coming out with such news," he said.
Mishra, who played 22 Tests, 36 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for India, has claimed 156 international wickets. He is also among the highest wicket-takers in the history of IPL with 174 scalps. He last played in IPL 2024 for the Lucknow Super Giants, featuring as an Impact Player.
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