Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts
 

The unlucky ones: Cricketers who played just one Test match for India

Here we take a look at some India cricketers who failed to get a second chance in the longest format of the game after making their debuts.

The unlucky ones: Cricketers who played just one Test match for India

New Delhi, July 21: Indian cricket has witnessed several players shining on the international stage but there have been also those who could only get to play more than a single Test match.

One of the biggest reasons for such players not getting a second chance in the Test side is that they failed to impress the team management and selectors with their effort in their debut game, while there have also been instances when the team got better players to replace them.

Yuvraj of Patiala was the first cricketer to earn the dubious distinction of playing just one Test match in his career. But the list of such players getting to feature in a sole Test is huge.

Here we take a look at some players who failed to get a second chance in the longest format of the game after making their debuts.

Shahbaz Nadeem

Shahbaz Nadeem

Wickets - 4, Best bowling 2/18

The Jharkhand cricketer was the latest to feature in a Test match for India when the left-arm spinner made his debut against South Africa on his home ground in Ranchi in October 2019.

Nadeem had to wait for a long time to get India call-up. He picked up 4 wickets in the match which Team India won by an innings and 202 runs. With the kind of spinners already in the ranks, Nadeem's chances of getting India call-up seems bleak.

Nadeem has been a stalwart in first-class cricket as he's picked up 443 wickets in 117 games.

2. Karn Sharma

2. Karn Sharma

Wickets - 4, Best bowling - 2/95

The right-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh made his Test debut against Australia at Adelaide in 2014. The leg-spinner picked up four wickets in that game, with 2/95 being his best figures from an innings.

In the first innings he picked up wickets of David Warner (145) and Michael Clarke (128). While in the second innings he dismissed Chris Rogers (21) and Warner (102). It was the first Test for Virat Kohli as India captain as MS Dhoni missed it due to illness.

Karn, who has 196 scalps in first-class cricket in 74 games, never got to play a Test match ever since.

3. Naman Ojha

3. Naman Ojha

Runs - 56, Highest - 35, Average - 28.00

Naman Ojha made his Test debut in 2015 during the third Test match between India and Sri Lanka at Colombo. The wicketkeeper-batsman from Madhya Pradesh got a chance in the national side as regular wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha got injured.

Ojha, however, failed to make any impression in his debut game as he scored 35 and 21. Ojha has played 146 first-class matches and scored 9753 runs so far with 219* being his highest individual total.

4. Jaydev Unadkat

4. Jaydev Unadkat

Wickets - 0

The senior Saurashtra pacer made his Test debut in 2010 during India's tour of South Africa. The left-arm seamer made his debut at Centurion which the MS Dhoni-led side lost by an innings and 25 runs.

Unadkat was unimpressive in the game as he remained wicketless in both the innings. However, Unadkat has been pretty impressive in the domestic circuit as he picked up 327 wickets in 89 first-class matches.

5. R Vinay Kumar

5. R Vinay Kumar

Wickets - 1, Best bowling - 1/73

The right-arm pacer from Karnataka made his Test debut against Australia at Perth in 2012 but failed to leave a mark. Vinay Kumar picked up just one wicket in that match which Team India lost by an innings and 37 runs.

He bowled 13 overs in that innings and picked up the wicket of Michael Hussey. Vinay picked up 504 wickets in 139 first-class matches. He has also played 31 ODIs and 9 T20Is for India.

6. Nikhil Chopra

6. Nikhil Chopra

Wickets - 0

The former India off-spinner played his first and only Test match in 2000 against South Africa at Bengaluru. Despite playing under home conditions, Chopra failed to pick up any wicket in the only innings he got a chance to bowl as the Proteas defeated India by an innings and 71 runs. Chopra bowled 24 overs in that game, conceded 78 runs and remained wicketless.

7. Saba Karim

7. Saba Karim

Runs - 15, Highest - 15

The former wicketkeeper-batsman from Bengal played his only Test against Bangladesh in 2000. Saba Karim scored 15 runs in the lone innings he got a chance to bat. Ironically, he was stumped in that innings.

8. Robin Singh

8. Robin Singh

Runs - 27, Highest - 15

The Trinidad-born all-rounder made his Test match debut in 1998 against Zimbabwe in Harare. The left-handed batsman and right-arm pacer had a rather unimpressive match, which Team India lost by 61 runs, for he disappointed in both the departments. He could only amass 27 runs in two innings and remained wicketless. Singh, however, had a decent ODI career as he went on playing 136 limited-overs games for India.

9. Salil Ankola

9. Salil Ankola

Wickets - 2, Best bowling - 1/35

The right-arm medium pacer from Maharashtra played his first and only Test match for India against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989. It was the same game in which Sachin Tendulkar made his India debut.

The pacer picked up one wicket apiece in both the innings of his debut match. He got the wickets of Salim Malik and Saleem Yousuf in the game which ended in a draw.

Ankola, however, played 20 ODIs for India and picked up 13 wickets.

10. Iqbal Siddiqui

10. Iqbal Siddiqui

Runs - 29, Highest - 24

The Maharashtra cricketer made his Test debut against England at Mohali in 2001. Siqqiui may not have had a memorable outing with the bat and ball but he opened the batting and blowing in that Test during the second innings.

Including Siddiqui, India had three fast bowlers making debuts in that game, Sanjay Bangar and Tinu Youhannan being others. Team India won the game by 10 wickets.

Story first published: Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 16:06 [IST]
Other articles published on Jul 21, 2020