5 Indian Cricketers Who Should Retire From Tests With Comeback Nearly Impossible

Indian cricket witnessed the immense strength of youngsters in the Border-Gavaskar Test series 2020-21. Young talent like Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Rishabh Pant came to the forefront to defeat the mighty Australians on their home soil in the Test series.

With the emergence of such new talented youngsters in the Test teams, few Indian cricketers should consider retiring from Test cricket as their comeback is highly unlikely to happen. Here we look at five such Indian cricketers whose comeback in Test cricket is nearly impossible.

5 Indian Cricketers Who Should Retire From Tests With Comeback Nearly Impossible

Harbhajan Singh

Although Harbhajan Singh was recently active as a commentator, he is missing on the field in the Indian jersey for a long time. Harbhajan Singh was once the leading spin bowler for India in Tests, however, the off-break bowler lost his spot to Ravichandran Ashwin over the years. Ravindra Jadeja’s commendable bowling ability in Tests has made him a bonus option in the team as a secondary spinner.

Although Harbhajan has not announced retirement from Tests, his comeback is almost impossible. He last played a Test match during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2015, where the 40-year-old spinner was dropped after the first Test. He could only grab one wicket in the 1st Test game which India lost by 63 runs, due to which he was dropped from the series. The right-arm off-break bowler has failed to make it in India’s Test squad ever-since, and his return to Test cricket is almost impossible.

Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay plays as an opener in Tests, a spot that has become a highly-competitive spot in Indian cricket. Murali Vijay made his Test debut in the 2008 India vs Australia tour, replacing Gautam Gambhir in the 4th and final Test of the series. He has been on-and-off the team until 2018 when he played his last Test series against Australia. With a mere score of 11 and 18 in the first Test and 0 and 20 in the 2nd Test, he was replaced by Mayank Agarwal in the 3rd and 4th Tests.

Agarwal, who smashed two half-centuries in the three innings he played (76, 42, and 77), emerged as a promising opener for India. Since then, Murali Vijay has been totally out of the Test squad. Also, players like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in the opener slot have made Murali Vijay’s comeback even harder.

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan plays as an opener, and he too faces tough competition due to the availability of young talent at the top. Shikhar Dhawan last played a Test match against England in 2018. Shikhar could not hit a single half-century in the 8 innings he played, with the highest being only 44. Post the series, Shikhar Dhawan has not been able to make an entry in the Test team.

With Shubman Gill emerging as a promising opener in Test squad post the India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 and Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the line-up for openers, Shikhar Dhawan has a very tough route inside the Indian Test team.

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik is a known face when it comes to Indian Premier League and T20I format, but Test is one format when DK is highly unlike to re-enter. The Indian wicketkeeper last played in a Test against England in 2018. His two ducks in the first two Tests made the selectors drop him from the rest of the matches. Over time, youngster KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha have shown excellence in the Test squad. Therefore, chances for 35-year-old Dinesh Karthik back in the Test seems quite impossible.

Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra was also a part of the five-match Test series against England in 2018. With Mishra’s three wickets in the first Test, selectors opted to try Ravindra Jadeja as a replacement in the 2nd Test. The combination of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja proved to be a better option for selectors. As a result, Amit Mishra could only play in the 5th Test, however, Ravindra Jadeja starred with 10 wickets in the final match.

Ravindra Jadeja being an all-rounder has appeared as a bonus option for the secondary spinner. With the addition of youngster Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar as other options in the spin category, Amit Mishra’s return in the Test squad is extremely improbable.