Hardik Pandya, Umran Malik
Hardik Pandya, Umran Malik. (Photo: Twitter)
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For any player to represent their country in a sporting event brings a great amount of pride not just for them but also for their near and dear ones. In a cricket-obsessed country like India, where the players are not just praised but worshipped in the resemblance of gods, it is an exhilarating moment for any player to represent the national team.

Players go through leaps and bounds at school and domestic levels in different age groups to earn their call to the national level. A player is representing the ambitions of 1.2 billion and that is to achieve glory in the game. With the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL), every year a pool of talented players get the due recognition and are further pushed to fulfil their international journey.

The likes of Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Hooda are just the latest set of examples of how talent marries with a platform like IPL. It is only a win-win situation for Indian cricket and its loyal fans.

However, there are cases where players have been rushed and failed to deliver on the international stage. Some of the players might never get the opportunity again to represent India with the abundance of talent and stiff competition at a time when a player of Virat Kohli’s stature is being questioned for his place on the Indian playing XI.

5 Indian Cricketers Who Played For India Prematurely

5) Varun Chakravarthy

With his impressive performances in the IPL and TNPL, Chakravarthy was named in India’s squad for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka, which included a host of youngsters under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan.

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Photo Credit: (Getty Images)

Chakravarthy made his debut for India in the Sri Lanka T20Is and picked just two wickets in three matches at an economy of 5.30. With his impressive figures in IPL 2021 – 18 wickets in 17 games – the Tamil Nadu spinner was touted as a mystery bowler who can trick the batters in the middle overs.

However, Chakravarthy did not stay up to the hype and didn’t pick a single wicket in the three games in the T20 World Cup 2021. After India’s exit from the mega event in the group stage, Chakravarthy has never played a game in the Indian colours.

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