3 Forgotten Indian Cricketers from the 90s

Over the last two decades, Indian cricket has come off age in every department, be it the infrastructure, the governing bodies, facilities etc. Since the 2000’s till date, Indian cricket has improved a lot and the results are showing up.

BCCI needs to be credited largely for investing in the game and taking it to another level. Indian Premier League has taken Indian cricket to another level and this has resulted in the upbringing of a whole new lot of new generation players who are willing to express themselves in the bigger stage.

The Indian Premier League is into its 12th season and over the years, we have seen many Indian players be it the veterans or the youngsters showcase their talent on the big arena. While IPL has given life to many youngsters, it also helped the veterans play the game after their national duties were done.

However, Indian cricket wasn’t the same as it was now in the 90s. Team India had its struggles when it comes to results. Many players who had the opportunity to perform well and showcase their talent couldn’t live upto the expectations, while many talents who had a promising start went unnoticed at the latter stages.

In this article, we look at 3 forgotten Indian Cricketers from the 90’s.

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#1 Robin Singh

Robin Singh

Robin Singh is still regarded as one of the best fielders that India has seen in the 90’s. Singh, a West Indian by birth migrated to India in his teens. After making a sloppy debut against West Indies in 1989, the left-handed batsman had to wait for 7 years to represent Team India again.

He made a name for himself with his aggressive fielding and his ability to catch throwing himself in the air. A left-handed batsman and a handy medium pace bowler, Robin Singh scored 2336 runs in 136 games at an average of 25.96 and picked up 69 wickets with the best figures of 5/22.

Despite having a consistent run in the early and late 90’s he never set the stage on fire, which resulted in him being left out of the team in the early 2000’s. He last played an ODI in 2001 against Australia at home, where he scored 16 runs in a game that India ended up losing.

Currently, Singh is part of coaching staff for franchise teams such as Barbados Tridents and Northern Warriors.

#2 Sadagopan Ramesh

Sadagopan Ramesh

Sadagopan Ramesh is another Indian cricketer from the 90s who was left unnoticed after a promising start to his career in International cricket. Ramesh made his debut for Team India in that infamous Test Match against Pakistan at his home town Chennai in 1999. He scoredquickfireire 43 in his very first innings and there was no looking back.

His scores of 60 and 96 in the second test at Delhi against Pakistan not only ensured Team India a win but also ensured a spot for him as an opener in the Indian Test Squad. A string of good performances earned him a spot in the limited overs format. An orthodox stroke player by nature, Ramesh is known for his cover drives and his ability to play spin very well.

Ramesh was part of the 1999 World Cup that took place in England and in the 5 games he was part of he could amass only 144 runs. His stint in ODI career didn’t last long as a string of failures despite the odd brilliance couldn’t make him a permanent opener for the one day side.

However, his test career prolonged for a brief bit into the early 2000’s. Ramesh was part of the infamous test series between India and Australia in 2001, where India won the 3 match Test series 2-1.

His last test series was against Sri Lanka in a 3 match Test Series against the hosts in 2001. Despite averaging in mid 30’s in that series, the selectors decided to overlook and with the emergence of Virender Sehwag, Ramesh’s career subsided and never made a comeback into the national team.

#3 Sunil Joshi

Sunil Joshi

Sunil Joshi is regarded as one of the finest left arm off spinners that Karnataka has ever produced. Joshi, a talented off-spinner was also a useful batsman in the lower middle order for Team India. Joshi represented Team India for a brief period between 1996-2001 in both Test and One-Day cricket.

In a career lasting 5 years, Joshi played 67 ODI games and 15 Test Matches. In 67 ODI’s, Sunil Joshi picked up 69 wickets at an average of 36.36, with the best figures of 5 / 6 against South Africa at Nairobi in 1999. This still remains the best 5-fer for any left arm off spinner in One-Day Cricket.

Despite the odd good performance with the ball, Sunil Joshi couldn’t deliver big at the big stage. He was promoted to bat at the top of the order as a pinch hitter multiple times but couldn’t make full use of it. Further, with the emergence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at the bigger, Joshi’s career has subsided and the off-spinner never made a comeback.