5 Indian Players Whose Test Comeback Seems Impossible

Cricketers do find it very hard to make a comeback into the international stages with the age factor and the amount of pressure associated with performing time and time. The Indian cricket team is certainly among the top three teams right now in all formats and the competition for places is really strong.

The management does provide a considerable number of opportunities before they decide to let go of the player and it is his duty to make full use of it. The Indian future is safe in the hands of the youngsters and the room for veterans has narrowed down. Here are five players whose test comeback seems impossible.

5 Indian Players Whose Test Comeback Seems Impossible:

Harbhajan Singh:

The veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who is one of the best entertainers in the game made his test debut way back in 1998 at a very young age and he still hasn’t announced his retirement from the longer format. He has played 103 tests so far and has taken 417 wickets at an average of 32.5. He has taken 25 five-wicket hauls in his career.

He last played a Test for India in 2015 against Sri Lanka and he has been playing IPL continuously over the years. With spinners dominating the Indian test side now, it is nearly impossible for him to make a comeback into the test side at the age of 40. He is the second-highest wicket-taking off-spinner after the great Muttiah Muralitharan in tests overall.

Murali Vijay:

The stylish opener from Tamil Nadu, Murali Vijay had a very good technique and he was a regular in the India team until the 2018 Australian tour. He struggled massively and had to make way for the likes of Mayank Agarwal in the team. The 37-year-old made his test debut in 2008 against Australia and was always knocking on the doors of the selectors.

Vijay represented India in 61 tests scoring 3982 runs at an average of 38.29 with 12 centuries to his name and 15 fifties. He had the highest test score of 167 and was one of the few batsmen who did really well in the overseas tours of England and Australia in 2014. He hasn’t been playing domestic cricket too and is definitely not in contention.

Karun Nair:

The Karnataka middle-order batsman, Karun Nair was very unfortunate to not get ample opportunities before being released from the Indian squad. After being called up as a replacement for injured Ajinkya Rahane to the Indian test side in the series against England, he managed to break all the barriers and struck a triple hundred in the series becoming only the second Indian to do so.

Karun Nair’s triple century was a massive feat for any batsman who had dreamed to play for India but after the return of Ajinkya Rahane to the side, Karun Nair had to wait again in the wings for his opportunity and he couldn’t contribute much after that. He has been playing in domestic cricket after getting dropped but looks to have lost the touch he had and isn’t looking like making a comeback into the test side.

Amit Mishra:

The leg spinner, Amit Mishra still hasn’t announced his retirement yet and the 38-year-old was always in the contingent after making his test debut in 2008. He becomes very dangerous on turning wickets and loops it really well in the air. He last played a Test for India in 2016 against England and hasn’t been in the squad for a long time now.

Mishra played 22 tests and picked up 76 wickets in his career at an average of 35.7 with the best figures of 5 for 71 runs. He played a lot of tests at home and is a handy batsman down the order too with four fifties in his test career. H is currently playing for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and his comeback is nearly impossible too.

Shikhar Dhawan:

The Indian opener is limited over series, Shikhar Dhawan is out of contention in tests after his poor form. Dhawan had a terrific start to his Test career with 187 on his debut innings against a quality Australian side. He was very good in the home conditions but struggled in the overseas condition which saw his downfall soon.

Dhawan played 34 tests scoring 2315 runs at an average of 40.61 with seven centuries and 12 fifties in his career. He played a test for India last against England in 2018 and hasn’t made a comeback after that. The 35-year-old has been batting really well in the limited-overs series but with the age factor not helping, he will certainly need to do a lot to get back in the test scheme of things again.