Spinner Amit Mishra gets bail after arrest in assault case

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India leg-spinner Amit Mishra was arrested by police and then released on bail in Bengaluru on Tuesday in connection with a complaint of assault filed by a woman.

The 32-year-old featured in four of the five one-day internationals against South Africa that concluded on Sunday and is also part of the squad for the first two tests of a four-match series against the same opponents starting next month.

The complaint was registered during the last week of September when Mishra was with the Indian team in Bengaluru for a training camp ahead of the series against South Africa.

The woman, who is reportedly a friend of the cricketer, alleged Mishra assaulted her in his hotel room.

“We questioned him for two to two-and-half hours today and then he was arrested,” Sandeep Patil, Bengaluru’s deputy commissioner of police, central division, told Reuters.

“He was later granted bail as it’s a bailable offence.

“We will have to gather more evidence now before we file the chargesheet against him.”

Patil said there was no restriction on Mishra playing for India and it was up to the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to decide if they want to include him in the team.

Calls and messages to Mishra, who has played 16 tests and 31 ODIs for India, went unanswered while the BCCI was yet to make any comment on the incident.

The first test between India and South Africa will be played in Mohali from Nov. 5.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Rex Gowar)