Sport is just as ruthless as any other profession, if not more. If you are not a part of an elite group of athletes, you just cannot sustain at the highest level. Sometimes, even the most talented and accomplished individuals miss out on the glory due to unexplainable circumstances.
Indian cricket has seen many such players, who in hindsight, could never make it count at the international level. Their place in the Indian Cricket Team were never cemented, as they kept brooding on the fringes of the national side. Some of them were sidelined due to injury. Others, just due to rotten luck.
Let us take a look at five Indian cricketers who were unlucky not to have played more for their country:
#5 Wasim Jaffer
Probably one of the biggest enigmas in the history of Indian cricket is Wasim Jaffer’s inability to make it big at the international stage despite scoring runs galore at the domestic level. The country’s fifth highest run-scorer in First Class cricket and an absolute heavyweight of the Ranji Trophy, the right-handed batsman was once considered to be the next-best-thing for the national team.
However, Jaffer could never really cement his place in the Indian side and remained at the fringes of their core line-up. The Mumbai batsman, who has over 18,000 runs in FC cricket, made his debut for India against South Africa in 2000. He played the last Test match of his international career in 2008.
During the eight-year period between, he could represent India just 31 times in the longest format of the game and played only two ODI matches. Jaffer has five centuries and eleven half-centuries at the international level.
While he could not bring his best to the table in the limited number of opportunities that he got, you might argue that he did not get full-fledged support from the selection committee. Had he enjoyed a longer rope in his sojourn with the national team, the 40-year-old might’ve had a bigger role to play in the history of Indian cricket.
#4 Subramaniam Badrinath
When a middle-order boasts the likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, and MS Dhoni, it cannot make space for any other cricketer, no matter how talented or tenacious he is.
Subramaniam Badrinath, who kept shining for Tamil Nadu through the years, never really got his due in the national side. The composed right-hander could only feature in two Tests and seven ODIs for India in his cricketing career. Despite piling runs galore in the domestic circuit, the star-studded Indian batting line-up never gave Badrinath a wide berth to burst onto the international scene.
Moreover, by the time these virtuosos hung up their boots, he was already in his 30s. The national selectors decided to invest in youngsters to secure a strong and formidable future of the team. The former CSK batsman could not fit the bill, and thus, was denied another opportunity for a much-deserved call-up to the Indian team.
#3 Mohammad Kaif (Test cricket)
While Mohammad Kaif has a special place for himself in the history of Indian ODI cricket, he could never quite build a similar legacy in the longest format of the game. Known for his tremendous fielding ability and the calm head he sported on his shoulders, Kaif was a cricketer who stretched his limitations to the hilt to shine in international cricket.
The 37-year-old, who featured in 127 ODIs for India, could play just 13 matches in Test cricket. He did considerably well in the limited chances he was privy to, scoring 624 runs in 22 innings with three half-centuries and one century in the format.
Kaif always displayed a lot of commitment and character on the field, scripting a special place for himself amongst the aficionados of Indian ODI cricket. If he felt indignation for not getting his fair share of opportunities in the white flannels, no one could really blame the batsman for the same.
#2 Vinod Kambli
The career of this extraordinarily gifted batsman from Mumbai scripts probably the most-tragic stories of wasted talent in the sport. When Vinod Kamli stitched a 664-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar in a national-level competition as a teenager, both the batsmen were hailed as exciting prospects who could change the landscape of Indian cricket.
While the latter went on to do exactly that by bludgeoning innumerable records for the national side, the former got lost somewhere along the way. Kambli’s meteoric rise to and in international cricket was nothing short of exceptional, but the imminent fall in his career was just as quick.
The extravagant southpaw played 17 Tests for India and scored 1084 runs with a stupendous batting average of 54.20. Kambli played over 100 ODIs as well, but his international career tapered off too soon for someone who boasted of such splendid batting pedigree. His negligence towards his career and disciplinary issues led to the downfall of this terrific talent, pulling the curtains on one of the most unfortunate career graphs in the national side.
#1 Vijay Merchant
The batsman who comes second only to the great Don Bradman in terms of First-Class batting average is Vijay Merchant. The Mumbai batsman, who boasted of a batting average of 71.64, was nothing short of Mozart for Indian domestic cricket back in the day.
Unfortunately, his immense proficiency at the national level could not be translated onto the international level. The right-handed batsman played just ten Test matches for his country, averaged a 47.72, and notched up three half-centuries and three centuries in just 18 innings.
However, recurring health issues and a shoulder injury sustained on the field caused Merchant’s early retirement from the sport. He scored 154 against England in the last Test match of his career.
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