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For any player in the country, getting called up to the national team and playing for the Indian team is a dream. But, it is not an easy task as each player is competing against hundreds of similar individuals and if someone still manages to make it to the side, it is worth applauding.
In the last few years, a lot of players made their international debut for India including the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Krunal Pandya, Khaleel Ahmed etc. However, as difficult as getting into the side maybe, it is also crucial to cement one's place in the team.
Not many have been able to do that in the past, despite possessing a lot of potential. Some players just managed to play one game for India and disappeared out of the scene because of poor performances or the return of senior players.
Some players did all the hard work and made their debut for India but could not capitalize on it. In no particular order, let us take a look at ten players whom not many are aware that they played for India in the last few years as they disappeared from the scene quite quickly.
#10 Parvez Rasool
Parvez Rasool is the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India. Remarkably consistent in the Indian domestic circuit and he has been carrying the J&K team single-handedly on his shoulders for a while now.
He was rewarded for his consistent show in the domestic circuit when he was named in the Indian squad for the tour of Bangladesh in 2014 and was handed his national cap in the first ODI at Mirpur. Rasool did not come out to bat but picked two wickets in the rain-curtailed match. Unfortunately, that was his last match in Indian colours in ODIs as he never got another chance to prove himself.
However, he got to play one more match for India, and this time it was his T20I debut at Kanpur against England in 2017. Just like in ODIs, his first game was also his last in T20Is. Since then, he never came back to the national side.
#9 Sreenath Arvind
When Karnataka won the domestic treble for two consecutive seasons a few years ago, they had the best team in the country, and many players from that team went on to play for India. One such name was left-arm fast bowler Sreenath Arvind.
With India in search for an excellent left-arm seamer, the selectors decided to give Arvind the nod for the T20I series against South Africa in 2015.
He made his debut for India in the first T20I at Dharamsala and finished with figures of 1/44 in 3.4 overs. That was the last time he was seen wearing an Indian jersey in a match as he never played for the country again.
He is the only player in the list who cannot add to their international matches tally as he has already announced his retirement from professional cricket.
#8 Sanju Samson
Much before Rishabh Pant made a name for himself and made it to the Indian side, Kerala wicket-keeper Sanju Samson was touted as the next big thing and the future of Indian wicket-keeping.
He came into the limelight with some consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals in the 2013 IPL and Champions League T20. He has been a consistent run-scorer in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, and Kerala in the domestic circuit.
He was rewarded with a place in the Indian side for the Zimbabwe tour in 2015 and even made his T20I debut in that tour. He scored 19 in the only match he played in the format and never got a chance after that. Now that Rishabh Pant has sealed his place in the side, things look bleak for Samson to get back in the reckoning.
Samson has since made a comeback into the national team with appearances against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in early 2020. He, however, failed to make an impression again.
#7 Faiz Fazal
Faiz Fazal is one name who has been doing well for his domestic side ever since he made his debut for Vidarbha in 2003. Till date, he has played 125 first-class matches in which he has scored 8404 runs at an average of 41.39. In the last two seasons, he has taken his consistency to a whole new level as he led Vidarbha from the front and helped them win the Ranji Trophy.
Surprisingly, he was given his India call-up even before his giant-killing spree began. He was called into the Indian team for the 2016 series against Zimbabwe, and he went on to make his debut for India in the third ODI against them in Harare. He scored an unbeaten 55 and helped India win the game with ease.
He has not played a single game for India since then.
#6 Pawan Negi
Pawan Negi had a great 12-15 months in 2015-16, and Chennai Super Kings drafted him in the IPL. With proper backing from MS Dhoni, Negi became one of the stars for the franchise in the 2015 edition as he did well with both bat and ball.
Ahead of the 2016 IPL auction, he proved himself in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and was bought by Delhi Daredevils for a whopping 8.5 crores. A couple of months later, he was picked in the Indian side for the Asia Cup T20 and was also handed his debut in the match against UAE.
That was his first and last match in Indian colours, and he never got a chance to come back to the side. Even in the IPL, he struggled to live up to the expectations before getting released the following season.
#5 Barinder Sran
Ever since Irfan Pathan, India has found it hard to find a proper left-arm seamer in their squad and right from Jaydev Unadkat to Khaleel Ahmed; they have tried quite a few names for that role. But none of them could cement their place in the side, and we will have to wait to see what Khaleel does in the national colours.
One such name who was picked in the side to provide the variety was Punjab seamer Barinder Sran. Sran was named in the Indian squad for the tour of Australia in 2016 and made his debut at the WACA.
The then 26-year-old was average in his debut series before he was dropped from the XI. He was later given a chance in the series against Zimbabwe later that year where he impressed everyone with his swing bowling. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to play for India again.
He picked up seven wickets in six ODIs and six wickets in two T20Is before he was replaced in the side.
#4 Rishi Dhawan
Rishi Dhawan is one of the few names who India tried in order to solve their all-rounder woes since Irfan Pathan disappeared.
Rishi is a prolific player in the Indian domestic circuit as he has scored 3702 FC runs at 41.13 and has taken 308 wickets at 26.87. He has done well in the List A and T20 format and was given a national call-up in 2016 for the tour of Australia following his heroics for India A.
He made his debut for India at the MCG and went on to play all three remaining matches in that series. All he managed was 12 runs and one wicket in the series and was not called into the ODI side after that.
However, he made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in Harare and ended with figures of 1/42. With that, he was never considered for India again.
#3 Mandeep Singh
Like any other player in this list, Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh has been a consistent performer ever since he made headlines playing for India in the 2010 under-19 World Cup.
He has scored runs regularly for Punjab across all formats in the Indian domestic circuit and for Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
The right-hander was rewarded for his consistent show with a place in the Indian side for the tour of Zimbabwe in 2016. He made his debut in the first T20 and went on to play the entire series. He scored 87 runs in the series which included an unbeaten 52.
After that, Mandeep was out of the Indian side as the senior players came back. He was not even called up once following the T20I series in Zimbabwe where he showed a lot of promise.
#2 Sandeep Sharma
Fast bowler Sandeep Sharma made the headlines with some consistent performances in the 2012 under-19 World Cup where he was instrumental in India winning the tournament. Throughout the series, he gave his team a breakthrough with the new ball. Following the competition, he was drafted into the Kings XI Punjab side for the IPL.
He continued his excellent work for the Kings XI and was also consistent for Punjab in the domestic circuit across all three formats, and that gave him his maiden call-up to the Indian team when they toured Zimbabwe in 2015. He was given his international debut in the T20I series, and he played both the matches in the series, but ending up taking just one wicket with an economy of 10.42. That was the end for him in national colours as he never got picked again.
#1 Gurkeerat Mann Singh
Punjab's batting all-rounder Gurkeerat Mann has been a utility player for whichever team he has played for as he can contribute with both bat and ball. There was a time in 2015-16 when he was a part of the Indian team during the home series against South Africa and was also a part of the Indian team that toured Australia in 2016.
Gurkeerat made his national debut in the third ODI against Australia in 2016 at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Following his debut, he was given a chance to prove himself in the last two matches as well, and all he managed was 13 runs at an average of 6.50 without taking a single wicket. Since then, he has not got a chance to play even a single match for India, irrespective of the format.
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