These five players were once indispensible members of Team India, but now are not in the contention for a comeback.
Playing for your country is the best thing to happen for any cricketer as it is a dream come true moment. For the players who get to the point where they wear the blue colored Indian cap, they wish to have a long career in which they are successful to win matches for their country.
Also, there comes a time when the career winds up and comes to an end due to form and age issues. Player has to give up the high of playing for the country in front of thousands of people and settle for something else.
People and cricket fans will remember them for their achievements, moments and for being the inspiration to many young minds who pursued the sport to emulate their heroes.
Team COC presents to you five such players who have been invaluable to the team for a long time, but now the time has come that we might never see them playing for the Indian team ever again for one reason or the other.
Here are 5 Players who might never play for India again
YUSUF PATHAN
810 runs and 33 wickets in 57 ODIs with two centuries
The elder of the famous Pathan brothers, Yusuf Pathan was a staple in the Indian team for a while and even was part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad, playing in the first half of the tournament. Known for hitting some big sixes and having a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs and T20Is, Pathan has also been part of the famous IPL and has won the tournament three times, once for Rajasthan Royals and twice for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pathan played 57 ODIs making 810 runs and picking 33 wickets with two centuries to his name. No one can forget his scintillating century (105) against South Africa which almost won India a match from a position of no hope.
However, he played his last match for India in 2012 with the rise of Ravindra Jadeja as a more viable option as an all-rounder and now with Hardik Pandya and others vying for the all-rounder’s spot, the 35-year-old Baroda all-rounder’s days as India player as good as over.
HARBHAJAN SINGH
417 wickets in 103 Tests and 269 wickets in 236 ODIs
Harbhajan Singh is considered to be one of the most premier off-spinners ever to play the game of cricket. He made his India debut at the age of 17 against Australia in 1998 and from there on, battled allegations of a suspect bowling action, to picking over 400 wickets in Tests and over 250 wickets in ODIs.
Harbhajan came to the fore in the unforgettable 2001 Test series against Australia where he picked 32 wickets in three Tests. He bowled India to victory single-handedly in that Test series and also became the first Indian bowler to pick up a Test hat-trick. He also has two Test centuries to his name, both against New Zealand in back-to-back Tests.
Harbhajan Singh also played a part in Indian team winning the 2011 World Cup at home and that also marked a decline in his form. He was dropped from the Test team in 2013 and since then has made sporadic appearances.
At 38-years-old, it is highly unlikely that Harbhajan will make a comeback into the Indian team, especially that he has not been performing in domestic cricket as well.
IRFAN PATHAN
1105 runs and 100 wickets in 29 Tests; 1544 runs and 173 wickets in 120 ODIs
The younger of the Pathan brothers, Irfan made a scintillating debut for India in 2003 at the age of 19 and impressed everyone with his ability to swing the ball both ways. He could also hold his own with the bat against the best of the bowlers and soon was compared to the great Kapil Dev and was looked at a potential all-rounder for India.
He showed promise with a century in Tests against Pakistan. Against the same nation in Karachi 2006, came his biggest feat with the ball, when he became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. Irfan Pathan was also the Man of the final in India’s World T20 2007 win and since then his career dwindled due to loss of form and injuries.
Pathan was the blue-eyed boy of former Indian coach Greg Chappell, who encouraged him to bat higher up the order and Pathan, for a time being, batted at no.3 in ODIs for quite some time. With Pathan playing his last Test in 2008 and last ODI in 2012 and with his home team of Baroda parting ways with him; Pathan has turned a new leaf in his career, moving to Jammu and Kashmir and becoming a coach-player to them and is scouting new talents for them.
The 34-year-old all-rounder remains closest to we came to finding a successor to the great Kapil Dev.
GAUTAM GAMBHIR
4154 runs in 58 Tests, 9 centuries and 5238 runs in 147 ODIs, 11 centuries
Feisty, fighter, outspoken and in your face are just some of the things that come to the mind when the name Gautam Gambhir is spoken. The Delhi boy made his debut for India in Tests in 2004 and ODIs in 2003 and served the nation in 58 Tests and 147 ODIs.
Gambhir remains the unsung hero of the Indian team as he played important innings for India in 2007 World T20 finals and 2011 World Cup finals, but didn’t receive the adulation and reward that he should have gotten. Named ICC Test Player of the Year for 2009, he also topped the ICC rankings for a while.
Gambhir could take on the bowlers and could also drop anchor and save Tests for India as he did against New Zealand making 137 in over five sessions. Gambhir was also a capable captain and achieved a 5-0 whitewash in ODIs against the Kiwis and led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL title twice.
The nail in Gambhir’s Test career coffin came in the infamous 2011-12 Test series against England and Australia where India lost eight straight Tests; he was a walking wicket. In 2014 against England, Gambhir sustained an injury after earning a call-up as the backup opener.
Gambhir since then only played for India against England in 2016 and more or less has fallen off the radar. At 37-years of age, Gambhir is a regular in Indian domestic circuit, but a call for Indian team has become a distant dream with the rise of better and younger openers.
YUVRAJ SINGH
8701 runs in 304 ODIs with 14 centuries and 1900 runs in 40 Tests with 3 centuries.
One of the greatest limited overs players to ever play for India and a true ODI great, Yuvraj Singh was earmarked for greatness the moment he made his debut for India in the 2000 ICC Knockout trophy in Nairobi and hit a brilliant 80 odd against Australia in his first knock in ODIs.
Yuvraj from then on carried the Indian middle order and was vital in India’s 2002 NatWest series final win. Yuvraj continued his good run in ODIs and T20Is, but unfortunately, his Test career didn’t flourish despite playing 40 Tests. The main reason being he wasn’t given a run at one position and was used as a floater.
Yuvraj’s best came in the 2007 World T20, where he became only the first player in the format to hit 6 sixes in an over, to the unfortunate Stuart Broad. Yuvraj then played a major role in India winning the 2011 World Cup and was named the player of the tournament. Unknown to many, Yuvraj knew he was suffering from something serious before the World Cup in 2011, but postponed his tests to participate in the tournament. He was seen vomiting during some of the matches.
After the tournament, it was confirmed that Yuvraj had cancer and had to take a long break to fight a battle against the disease and when he came back, had to regain all the fitness he had lost.
However, once he came back, he struggled to get back his dominating form and after the 2014 World T20 debacle was dropped from the team. Despite a brief comeback in 2017, when he played a couple of memorable knocks, he was dropped again and hasn’t been recalled since.
The 36-year-old charismatic batsman has fallen off the radar of the selectors and despite his wish of playing in the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup, seeing his fitness and form, the road to the tournament is more or less closed for him.