Five Indian Cricketers Who Are Remembered For Just One Performance

Indian cricket has always been blessed with prodigious talents over the years; those who have successfully managed to successfully breach the gap between domestic cricket and international cricket by consistently delivering one brilliant performance after another.

But, amidst all this, there have been a plethora of Indian cricketers who didn’t manage to build on the momentum and faded away after one magical performance.

Here’s a look at five Indian cricketers who are remembered for just one performance:

Ajay Ratra

Ajay Ratra was one of the many wicket-keepers that Indian Cricket tried after the retirement of Nayan Mongia and before the emergence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

He was one of the six wicket-keepers that the national selectors tried within a space of 12 months in the 2001-02 season. Ratra, wh made his international debut at Eden Gardens during the 2002 ODI series against England, went on to become the youngest wicket-keeper to score a Test hundred during his maiden series against the West Indies at St. Johns in Antigua.

However, Ratra’s tryst with inconsistency continued and he was soon dropped from the set-up after the succeeding Test series in England.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar

Okay! Tell me honestly what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read or hear about Hrishikesh Kanitkar? Isn’t it that famous boundary that the southpaw hit off Saqlain Mushtaq to help India seal their first-ever 300+ run-chase against Pakistan in Dhaka back in 1998?

Unfortunately, Kanitkar could not really replicate his exploits on a consistent basis and the ill-fated tour of Australia at the turn of century proved to be his final stint for the Indian Cricket Team.

Kanitkar played a total of 2 Tests and 34 ODIs where he managed a solitary half-century. He continued to be a consistent performer in FC cricket though as he went on to rack up more than 10000 runs before calling it a day after the 2012-13 season.

Dinesh Mongia

Dinesh Mongia made his One-day International debut against Australia back in 2001. But it was only in the succeeding season where he scored 71 and 49 against the visiting English team and the series-winning 159 against Zimbabwe that he managed to assert a permanent spot in the Indian ODI team.

That 159 against Zimbabwe at Guwahati proved to be a real boon in Dinesh Mongia’s career as he went to pip VVS Laxman for a place in the 2003 World Cup squad.

Unfortunately, Mongia could not really cash-in on the opportunity. After his 159 against Zimbabwe, he went on to feature in 42 more ODIs in which he managed a mere 703 runs at an average of 22.67 with just three half-centuries.

Stuart Binny

However, just like his predecessors, Binny didn’t find much success at the international level. But, he still had his moments like his match-saving half-century at Nottingham in 2014 or his record-breaking spell of six wickets for four runs (6-4) against Bangladesh in a 2014 ODI where he helped India defend their total of 105.

Binny broke Anil Kumble’s 21-year-old record of best bowling figures in an ODI (6-12 vs West Indies in the 1993 Hero Cup) by an India, a record that still stands today.

Joginder Sharma

“In the air……….Sreesanth..takes it, India win,” As Ravi Shastri echoed these historic words, Joginder Sharma went on to impinge himself in the annals of one of Indian crickets’ most memorable moment- the 2007 T20 World Cup win. Sharma made his debut back in 2004 but it was his exploits in the 2007 T20 World Cup final that made him a nationwide sensation.

Sharma went on to defend 13 runs in the last over against a rampaging Misbah Ul Haq, proving MS Dhoni’s decision to hand him the ball in place of Harbhajan Singh was indeed a masterstroke as India were crowned world champions.

Unfortunately, that would also prove to be Joginder Sharma’s last game for India. He featured for CSK till IPL. However, in November 2011, he met with a life-threatening car accident where he suffered multiple head injuries and even though he returned to domestic cricket in 2012-13. an Indian call-up never arrived. Sharma is currently serving as Deputy Superintendent of police in Haryana.

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