Most Undeserving Players Who Made Debut For India In Last 5 Years

The Indian cricket team has been one of the hardest to get into in the past five years due to the growing competition between the players. The Indian side has seen high-class players one after the other across formats, making it necessary for cricketers to perform in their limited chances. Hence, due to the competitive nature, there is little room for complacency and players could get sidelined even after doing not much wrong.

Amid this, a few players get the nod based on their promise instead of their domestic performances. Such cricketers come into the side if any first-choice player suffers an injury or any other unavoidable reasons. While some candidates prove they belong at the top level by delivering the goods, the remaining shows that they are not yet up to the mark and need some time. Thus, the gamble doesn’t pay off always.

We take a look at such undeserving Indian players who debuted in the last five years:

Shivam Dube:

All-rounder Shivam Dube got his first international break in November 2019 when he made his T20 debut against Bangladesh. Shivam Dube impressed with his bowling in his third T20I when he bowled a crucial spell and dismissed three Bangladesh batsmen to shape India’s victory. The 27-year old’s highest score in T20I cricket is 54, scored against the West Indies.

But Dube’s overall international career is far from impressive and only has glimpses of promising performances. After 13 T20Is, his bowling average is 43.20 and his batting average is 17.50. Apart from that, Shivam’s only ODI produced nine runs off his bat and no wickets. Moreover, the Mumbai-born cricketer’s latest T20I saw him conceding 34 runs in an over; hence, it seems evident his international debut came a little too soon.

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Khaleel Ahmed:

Khaleel Ahmed made his international debut against Hong Kong in September 2018. Though Khaleel Ahmed did well in that game, being the pick of the bowlers by snaring figures of 10-0-48-3. However, the left-arm seamer has lacked the required consistency. Khaleel’s bowling average in T20Is and ODIs are 35.31 and 31, respectively.

The 23-year old has not done anything extraordinary in IPL either to be reconsidered for selection after playing his last international game in November 2019. The Rajasthan-born cricketer’s best year in IPL was 2019, taking 19 wickets in nine fixtures at 15.11. After that, he managed only 12 scalps in 2020 and 2021.

Siddharth Kaul:

Siddharth Kaul recently expressed his desire to represent India in World Cups, wanting to be the Indian captain’s go-to man. In retrospect, Siddharth Kaul has not done justice to his limited international opportunities, having debuted in 2018 against England. The right-arm seamer got the nod as he performed outstandingly in IPL 2018, taking 21 scalps in 17 games at 26.05.

But the 31-year old looked below-par at the international level, as his three T20Is yielded only four scalps at a decent average of 21. On the other hand, Kaul has managed no wickets in three ODIs. Notably, in his last T20I, the right-arm seamer conceded 45 in 3.4 overs by snaring only one victim. With India already having a considerable amount of good seamers, it remains to be seen if Kaul gets more opportunities.

Gurkeerat Singh:

Gurkeerat Singh made his international debut in early 2016 as a lower-order batsman; however, he hardly got opportunities with the willow or ball. At the end of three ODIs, the 30-year old’s highest score was 8 and had figures of 17/0 as his best. The right-handed batsman’s international career was done for the time being and has not played ever since.

It was unclear based on what Gurkeerat Singh earned a call-up to the international team since he has featured in only IPL 41 games and managed 511 runs at 21.29 so far. Until the 30-year old’s debut in 2016, his best season was in 2013, when he played 11 matches and scraped through to 108 runs. Unfortunately, Gurkeerat did not set the domestic circuit on fire either.

Barinder Sran:

Barinder Sran made his international debut in early 2016 as well as his ability to hit the deck hard made the selectors give him a chance. Nevertheless, the Australian tour did not prove too fruitful as the likes of Steve Smith and other hosts batsmen figured him out quickly.

The left-arm seamer last of six ODIs came in June 2016, yielding seven wickets in six matches. Nevertheless, Sran had incredible numbers in T20I cricket, snapping six wickets in two games at 6.83. Yet, the 28-year old might not get more opportunities as India has a plethora of potent pacemen.

Navdeep Saini:

Navdeep Saini is amongst the current class of pacers and a promising one at that. Navdeep Saini possesses an excellent pace and a yorker; however, he is injury prone and has the problem of delivering a beamer frequently. While the right-arm speedster’s T20 numbers are incredible, his Test and ODI numbers are poor.

The 28-year old has only four wickets from two Tests at 43, keeping an economy rate of 4.11. On the other hand, Saini has six scalps from seven ODIs at an awful average of 75.67. The Haryana-born paceman would likely not be in India’s first-choice XI across formats if he fails to maintain consistency and discipline.

Parvez Rasool:

Parvez Rasool was the first Indian cricketer to play from Jammu & Kashmir; however, he could not make a mark in his only T20I and ODI. Parvez Rasool’s only ODI in 2014 yielded a couple of scalps and his sole T20I three years later against England saw him taking Eoin Morgan’s scalp. But he fell out of favour.

The right-arm off-spinner has also been out of favour of the IPL franchises, having played his last game in 2016. Nevertheless, Rasool remains active in the domestic circuit; however, it is hard to see him back in the national team.

Vijay Shankar:

Vijay Shankar made his international debut in 2018 and has so far featured in 12 ODIs and eight T20Is. While Vijay Shankar has delivered promising batting performances thus far, he has asserted his authority in none of those. Considering his promise, the selectors also gave him an opportunity in the 2019 World Cup.

However, the 30-year old could not justify the inclusion as he wasted his opportunities and injured to never return to the side again. Shankar has a batting average of 31.86 and 25.25 and the numbers might have been so much better if he showed more awareness and discipline. Despite his poor IPL outings, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder still aims to don the national colours.

Pawan Negi:

Pawan Negi shot into the limelight when Delhi Daredevils shelled out INR 8.5 crores for him in the 2016 IPL auction. A month after that, his international debut arrived in which he delivered a three-over spell for 16 runs and a wicket in a T20I. However, the spin-bowling all-rounder did not play another international game as the selectors did not pick him in the T20 World Cup squad either.

As for the 2016 IPL, the 28-year old could not justify the hefty price tag. Pawan Negi played eight matches that year and took one wicket and managed 57 runs at 28.50. Negi’s overall IPL career has only yielded 365 runs in 50 fixtures at 14.04 with 34 scalps. Thus, he did not deserve to wear the international colours.

Rishi Dhawan:

Rishi Dhawan was yet another promising seam-bowling all-rounder making his India debut in early 2016 and played only four matches across T20Is and ODIs before disappearing into oblivion. The 31-year old batted only in two innings in his three ODIs and managed 12 runs, while bagging only a run in his sole T20I.

Moreover, the right-arm medium-pacer bagged only two scalps in his four white-ball international games. Dhawan’s international comeback also looks unlikely as he played his last IPL match back in 2016, while his numbers in the cash-rich league are underwhelming too. Dhawan featured in 26 IPL games, scoring 153 runs and snaring 18 scalps.

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