Cricketers in India must put in a lot of effort to make the national team. It is not easy for any professional player to make it into the national squad in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people who follow cricket avidly. It is not, however, an impossible task to do.
When a cricketer begins playing at an early age, he is inspired to work hard after watching his heroes succeed at the international level. However, as one progresses through the ranks, the competition becomes more difficult, since the national team is chosen based on meticulous planning.
Those who are picked for the squad but never have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities on the field are the unluckiest.
1.Basil Thampi
Basil Thampi made his IPL debut by taking 11 wickets in his first season and winning the emerging player of the season title in 2017. Thampi also has a good first-class record. In first-class cricket, he has 79 wickets in 35 matches and 61 wickets in 62 T20 games with a strike rate of 21.30. Thampi was selected for the T20 team against Sri Lanka in 2017, however, he did not play because inexperienced bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Jaydev Unadkat were picked ahead of him. Following that, the Kerala cricketer was dropped from the India A team and was unable to explain his position with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In the eight games he participated in consecutive seasons, he only managed to take six wickets.
2.Dheeraj Jadhav
In 2003/04 Ranji Trophy, Maharashtra opener Dheeraj Jadhav scored 1066 runs in 12 innings. In the fourth Test against Australia at home in 2004, his batting prowess earned him a call-up to the national side, but he was unable to break into the team as Gautam Gambhir was given the cap. In first-class cricket, the left-hander amassed 23 hundreds and 31 fifties. However, he was unable to play in a single game for India. Despite amassing a large number of runs in domestic cricket, Jadhav was unable to play a single international match for his country.
3.Ishwar Pandey
Ishwar Pandey appeared in 25 IPL matches between 2013 and 2015. In his IPL career, the bowler took 18 wickets while playing for three different clubs. In domestic cricket, Pandey has a strong record. He appeared in 72 first-class matches and took 252 wickets at an average of 26.18. The 6′ 2″ bowler, who was also a learner at the MRF Pace Academy, could swing the ball at approximately 130 kmph. Pandey was disappointed not to be given an opportunity to participate throughout the 2014 New Zealand trip after earning a call. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also purchased the pacer ahead of the 2014 IPL auctions.
4.Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda was also selected for the same T20 series as Thampi against Sri Lanka in 2017, however, he ended up warming the bench. He was also selected for the Nidahas Trophy, but he didn’t make the cut. On the other hand, Hooda continued to play in the IPL, accumulating 741 runs in 76 matches with a strike rate of 131.38. The right-hander appeared in 46 first-class games, scoring 2908 runs at an average of nearly 40 runs per game (42.76). He has 2059 runs at a strike rate of nearly 100 in List A cricket (93.63). He has also scored 1718 runs with a strike rate of 135.59 in domestic T20 matches.
5.Ranadeb Bose
Ranadeb Bose had a strong first-class record, but his local achievements did not result in an India call-up. In first-class cricket, the tall and well-built bowler grabbed 317 wickets at an incredible average of just 25.80. During the 2006/07 Ranji Trophy, the Bengal pacer took 57 wickets at a strike rate of 39.4 in eight games. However, the then 28-year-old was unable to get a spot in the starting XI, as RP Singh, Zaheer Khan, and S Sreesanth had all been promoted to the team ahead of him.
