10 Indian cricketers who vanished after promising starts

Making your country’s cricket squad is merely the first step towards a successful career. Consistency at the top level is required to maintain one’s spot on the national team.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, for example, have ensured that their domestic form translates into strong performances on the international stage. Their constancy ensured that they stayed for a long and prosperous career.

On the other side, there are players who were given their shot at the international level and made it to the national squad but faded away after a promising start.

Here, we look at some of those fading stars who are now forgotten.

#10 Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan, the all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh’s hilly hills, was originally thought to be India’s long-term all-rounder option. But, after two underwhelming seasons in the IPL, he has been neglected by the cricketing community.

Dhawan represented India in three One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International. In three One-Day Internationals, the former Mumbai Indians player managed only 12 runs and one wicket, George Bailey.

The Himachal Pradesh player scored just one run in his sole T20 game and took just one wicket in the game’s shortest format, going at an economy rate of 10.50. He last appeared for India against Australia in 2016.

#9 Faiz Fazal

Faiz Fazal has likely been one of the unluckiest cricketers in Indian history. Despite putting on amazing performances on the domestic circuit for 14 years, he has only been recognised once for his unwavering hard work and commitment.

After scoring 55 runs in his sole game for India, Fazal is still overlooked by selectors and IPL clubs. The opener has fallen entirely off the radar now that India has proven openers in Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. His solitary call-up to the national team occurred in 2015, when he went unblemished in a single game against Zimbabwe.

#8 Pankaj Singh

Pankaj Singh, a tall and lanky Rajasthani pacer, is one of the most experienced players on the home circuit. He has been an important component for Rajasthan since he made his debut in 2003.

Although putting up strong results on the home circuit, he failed to live up to expectations at the international level, causing selectors to overlook him. He went wicketless and gave 45 runs in his lone ODI for India. In 2014, the lanky pacer last appeared for India against England.

#7 Rahul Sharma

Throughout the fifth and sixth seasons of the IPL, Rahul Sharma was one of the most economical bowlers. Unfortunately, he was unable to make an impact after that and was consequently discarded by both national selectors and IPL clubs.

The tall leg-spinner who used his height to extract strong bounce has not been considered for a position in the Indian team. To his dismay, he has not represented his country since 2012.

With leg-spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal already in the Eleven, getting into the national squad seemed to be a faraway goal for Sharma.

#6 Abhimanyu Mithun

Karnataka bowler Abhimanyu Mithun was called up to the national team after taking 47 wickets in his debut Ranji Trophy season, including a hat-trick. On his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010, he delivered figures of 4/105 on a pitch when most bowlers were getting pounded for runs.

Mithun’s one-dimensional approach has forced him to make room for other bowlers with greater all-around ability. He has come nowhere close receiving the nod since 2011.

With his stellar domestic play for Karnataka, he may yet be able to make it back to the national setup at the age of 30.

#5 Parvinder Awana

Parvinder Awana, a right-arm pacer from Delhi, was signed by Kings XI Punjab in 2012 following a successful Ranji Trophy season. His ability to bowl sharply and propel the ball off the ground earned him a call-up to the national team for the T20 series against England in 2012.

He was withdrawn from the squad with immediate effect after conceding 71 runs at a very high economy of 11.83 in the two matches he played. Following that, he struggled in the IPL and has had no bids in the auction since 2015.

Awana has not been used by the selectors since Bhuvneshwar Kumar became India’s premier swing bowler. Awana has recently dropped off the radar owing to his inconsistency.

#4 Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel was instrumental in India’s World Cup triumph in 2011. The medium-pacer made a significant contribution by taking wickets at regular intervals and halting the opposition’s momentum.

These abilities, however, have faded for Patel as he struggles to earn the trust of selectors and locate an IPL franchise. With bowling ability waning, his state side Baroda dropped him from their roster.

Patel has not played for India since 2011. After representing Gujarat Lions in 2017, he was overlooked by IPL clubs and selectors due to a lack of match preparation and fitness.

#3 Parvez Rasool

Parvez Rasool, the all-rounder from Jammu and Kashmir, rose to fame after excelling for J&K in limited opportunities during the 2012-13 Ranji season.

In 2013, his consistency earned him IPL contracts and call-ups, but it has been a different tale for him when wearing the blue jersey. Rasool can bowl off-spin but struggles to get past the batsmen’s defence. Also, his bowling deficiency hurts his hitting talents. Rasool last appeared in Indian colours in 2017.

Rasool has not played for India since his single T20 against England, owing to the presence of batting all-rounders such as Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, and Hardik Pandya in the squad.

#2 Pragyan Ojha

Till 2013, Pragyan Ojha was in and out of the National team. Sachin Tendulkar was named man of the match in his last test against West Indies, finishing with statistics of 10/89.

But he hasn’t been with the team since, having been replaced by fellow left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Ojha’s removal from the team can be linked to his inefficient fielding and subpar bowling at the time. He was released by the Mumbai Indians in 2015 for the identical reasons. Since then, the left-arm orthodox spinner has retired from all forms of the game.

#1 Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar was a staple in the Indian squad until he lost his spot owing to fitness difficulties. State teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar also overshadowed the medium pacer’s ability to swing the ball both ways and produce decent bounce.

Despite being a seasoned combatant, the veteran’s injury troubles have caused the selectors to dismiss him. His weak bowling and clumsy fielding also discouraged clubs from bidding for Kumar in the IPL.

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