Indian Cricketers Who Made Debut Before MS Dhoni But Haven't Retired

MS Dhoni called time on his successful career on the 74th Independence Day. Dhoni made a big name for himself by making the country proud with his achievements after coming from the cricketing backwaters of Ranchi. He has achieved immense success as a player and also grew up to be one of the most successful captains and achieved almost everything the ICC tournaments had to offer.

There have been players in the Indian cricket team, who started their career with the 2011 World Cup winning captain, but still haven’t called time on their career. Let us have a look at some of these cricketers.

1. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has aged like a fine wine. Once the flag-bearer of Indian spin bowling, the veteran is still eyeing to make a return for the national team, after having played his last international match in 2016. Away from the international circuit, Harbhajan Singh has plied his trade for two most successful teams in the IPL – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) – and continues to be a regular in the lucrative tournament.

2. Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel largely lost his place to MS Dhoni in his playing career as a wicket-keeper batsman owing to some inconsistent performances. He made his Test debut at 17, becoming the youngest wicket-keeper during the Nottingham Test against England in 2002. The pocket-sized powerhouse continued to play as a first-choice wicket-keeper batsman for two year before his questionable performances coincided with the arrival of MS Dhoni at the international stage. This was about to be the turning point in his career. But he, did not give up, and always thought about improving his game not comparing himself with someone else.

3. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik made his debut just a few months ahead of MS Dhoni but still has not hung up his boots. Karthik has been crucial for the national team and scored vital runs in the middle-order. He has however been in and out of the side and has been far from the first choice wicket-keeper contention. One of his famous knocks came in the Nidhas Trophy where he played a match winning knock to save India from the jaws of defeat.

4. Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra made his last international appearance in 2017 during a T20I match against England. He has, since then, been out of the national team but continues to weave his magic in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Amit Mishra, however, has not given up hopes of making a comeback for the national team.