For a number of reasons, many players in modern international cricket do not represent their native country and instead opt to play for another country. Some well-known examples are Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Imran Tahir, Grant Elliot, and Eoin Morgan.
The competition for national team selection in India is strong, and as a result, some of the top players on the domestic circuit are occasionally ignored. As a result, only a few players travel to other countries to participate at the highest level. Players born in other countries, on the other hand, have been unable to represent India.
1. Robin Singh – Trinidad and Tobago
Robin Singh holds the record for the most international caps of any Indian cricketer born outside of India. The all-rounder appeared in 136 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), but it was his first and last Test in 1999. He played against Zimbabwe in the 1998 Harare Test, which India lost by 61 runs. He batted for 27 runs in two innings and bowled 10 overs without picking up a wicket. Robin Singh was born in Princes Town, Trinidad and Tobago. He made his professional debut for his home team before heading to India. In the 1985/86 season, he represented Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy for the first time. In an ODI against the West Indies in 1989, he made his international debut for India. In 136 One-Day Internationals, Robin Singh scored 2336 runs, including 109 half-centuries. In ODIs, he got 69 wickets, the best of which was 5/22.
2. Lall Singh – Malaysia
Lall Singh is the first player from an associate nation to play Test cricket for India. He is also the only Asian Test player who was born in a country where Test cricket is not played. Lall Singh was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 1909. Lall is the only Malaysian to have represented his country in a Test match. At Lords, he played in India’s maiden test match against England. He didn’t play in another Test Match after that. He scored 15 and 29 runs in what would turn out to be his only Test debut. He appeared in 32 first-class matches during his career.
3. Ashok Gandotra – Brazil
In November 1948, Ashok Gandotra was born in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi at the age of 17 at the beginning of 1966. Ashok made his India debut during the 1969/70 home season, participating in two Tests, one against New Zealand and the other against Australia. According to statistics, Ashok Gandotra is the only person born in Brazil to play Test cricket. Ashok joined the Bengal squad from Delhi, however, he was unable to perform.
4. Salim Durani – Afghanistan
Salim Durani was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 1934. At the start of 1960, the left-hander made his Test debut against Australia at Brabourne Stadium. He played 29 Test matches for India, accumulating 1202 runs with eight fifty-plus scores, including a century. Salim Durani began his professional career with Saurashtra in the 1953/54 season before moving to Gujarat the following year. Durani spent two seasons with Gujarat before joining Rajasthan. He was a member of the Rajasthan team for 22 domestic seasons till the conclusion of his professional career in 1976/77. Duranti scored 8545 runs and got 484 wickets in his 170-match FC career.
5. Khokhan Sen – Bangladesh
Khokhan Sen, the first Indian wicketkeeper to be a regular member of the squad, was born on May 31, 1926. His given name is Probir Kumar Sen. Sen’s pedigree is shown by the fact that he played 14 Tests after India’s first 12 games had only six glovemen. He scored 2580 runs at an average of 23.24 with three hundred in a 15-year first-class career. Probir made 108 dismissals in 70 FC appearances as a wicketkeeper, including 97 catches and 35 stumpings. Unverified claims have surfaced that Pankaj Roy was born in Dhaka, which is now a part of Bangladesh. On the other hand, most cricket databases indicate that he was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
