In a country like India, making it to the national team is not that easy. After a lot of side hustles, young talents from all across the country get a chance to play in Team India’s jersey. But not everyone gets backed by the team management and selectors.
Earlier, new players in the team were given a cushion of atleast two or three series. But this is not the case now. Players lose their position from the Indian team if they do not perform in only one game.
Here is a list of Indian cricketers who were dropped from the Indian team after playing in only one T20I match:
1) Mayank Markande
The turning point in career was when he impressed the Mumbai India’s think tank in the pre-auction trials and was therefore picked up in the 2018 IPL auctions for just INR 20 Lakhs. The biggest moment in life came when he dismissed MS Dhoni for a LBW and picked up his first wicket in his IPL career. He picked up another four in the game against SRH.
Due to excellent performance in the IPL, he was given an opportunity in the Indian team. He played his first T20I game in 2019 against Australia and bowled a quite decent spell. But the young leg spinner did not get chance in the Indian team after that.
2) Subramaniam Badrinath
His consistent performances in the domestic circuit earned him a place in the Indian team. Badrinath had played a couple of ODI matches before and was also named in team India’s test team. He made his T20I debut against West Indies in 2011. Badrinath scored 43 runs and received the Man of the Match award. But the Tamil Nadu based cricketer was not picked thereafter.
3) Karn Sharma
Wrist spinner Karn Sharma made his test match debut against the Aussies in their own den. He replaced veteran Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin in the 2014 Adelaide test which received a lot of criticism. Thereafter he was picked for the series against England. In his first T20I game he picked up a wicket and conceded only 28 runs. But the Uttar Pradesh based wrist spinner did not get another chance in the Indian team.
4) Sreenath Aravind
The left arm medium fast bowler was drafted into RCB’s team in 2011. He scalped 21 wickets in 14 games in that season but leaked a lot of runs. The national selectors handed him an opportunity in the Indian team for the home series against England in the same year but good not play a game. He made his T20I debut against South Africa where he picked up a wicket but again, he was too expensive. He leaked out 44 runs in that game.
5) Rishi Dhawan
The Himachal Pradesh based cricketer had some decent performances with the bat and the ball in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2016 where he scored a run and picked up one wicket and leaked 42 runs.
6) Pawan Negi
Slow left arm spinner Pawan Negi grabbed the limelight when he was picked up by Delhi Daredevils for a whooping price of INR 8.5 crore in 2016. He made his T20I debut in the same year against UAE in Dhaka. He was quite economical and he picked up a wicket in that game. Since then, we have not seen him in an Indian jersey.
7) Sandeep Warrier
The fast bowler from Kerala has around 100 first class wickets to his name. In the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy he was the leading wicket taker for the team (12). Sandeep debuted for India in 2021 in the Sri Lanka. He played in only T20I game where he went wicketless but conceded only 23 runs in three overs.
8) Dinesh Mongia
The Chandigarh based cricketer played his first and last T20I game against South Africa in 2006. The Proteas had put up a target of 126. Mongia who came to bat at No.3 for team India scored 38 off 45 deliveries which comprised of 4 fours and a six and led the Men in Blue to a six-wicket victory at Johannesburg.
The southpaw was not picked for the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup. He never played a match in the IPL too.
9) Sachin Tendulkar
Legendary batsmen Sachin Tendulkar is a shocking inclusion in the list. The Mumbai based cricketer made his T20I debut against SA in 2006 and scored 10 off 12 deliveries.
Tendulkar ruled himself out of the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup. Skipper MS Dhoni too did not include the Tendulkar in his T20 squad as he wanted to build a team around youngsters.
However, Tendulkar continued to play for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
10) Murali Karthik
The left arm spinner played his only T20 match against Australia in 2007 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Karthik went wicketless in that game and leaked 27 runs.
The 43 year old can be seen nowadays behind the mic as a commentator.