3 Indian Cricketers who debuted in 1989 like Sachin but couldn't make it big

Sachin Tendulkar has become a name which has become synonymous with cricket in India, but back in 1989 after a string of failures during the early part of his career not many would have expected him to continue playing for India.

Sachin scored his first century in the ODI format five years after he made his ODI debut. He took a long time to get going in the Test format as well. Though his talent was evident right from his first International series, he took some time to prove his worth to the World and ever since his first century he has gone on to score a century of centuries in International cricket.

Sachin is the undisputable king of Cricket when you consider his longevity and his stats across the formats. He is probably the greatest name to have ever walked on the cricket field and will be remembered forever for his contribution to Indian Cricket and World Cricket, but there were 3 other Indian cricketers who made their debut in 1989 and have had totally contrasting careers.

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#3 Robin Singh

Robin Singh is an important name in Indian cricket for his fielding. He was the one who first understood the importance of fielding in the Indian setup and he worked on that aspect to help his team by saving runs on the field.

Robin was the first person to make his debut for India in 1989 as he played his first ever ODI match against West Indies in Port of Spain. He didn't have a great first game as he just scored 3 runs off 5 balls.

Robin Singh was an important part of the Indian team in the 1990s and he even went on to play a Test match on the basis of his impressive ODI performance in 1998, but that was his first and the only Test that he ever played.

He had a decent career in the ODI format but that was largely due to an extremely weak Indian side which helped him keep his place in the side. In the 136 ODIs that he played for India, he scored just 2985 runs at an average of 26. He has just the solitary century to his name in 136 ODIs and wasn't a huge success in international cricket.

#2 Salil Ankola

Salil Ankola is another Maharashtrian who made his debut for India in 1989. He was second in the list to make his debut that year. He made his ODI debut along with Sachin against Pakistan later that year.

Ankola is a fast bowler who hailed from Sholapur and had a stop-start international career where he played in just 20 ODIs and a single Test in a timespan of 7 years.

Ankola wasn't a phenomenal talent but was more of a player who extracted the best out of his limited ability to be able to play for the country. He doesn't have a great record in International cricket but playing for the country is a dream which every Indian would cherish irrespective of their records.

Ankola picked up 13 wickets in 20 ODIs at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 62. In the only Test that he played he managed to pick up 2 wickets at an average of 64 and a strike rate of 90.

#1 Vivek Razdan

Razdan is seen carrying a young Tendulkar

Vivek Razdan was a Delh-based pacer who played for India in 1989 and 1990. He was the last player to make his debut that year before Sachin. He has played for both Delhi and Tamilnadu in Ranji Trophy and had a relatively short playing career.

The 1980s saw several Indian players being brought into the side at an extremely young age, while some like Sachin manage to make it big in International cricket, others like Sivaramakrishnan faded away. Razdan is one of those young prodigies who was brought into the team at a very young age but he faded away way too quickly.

Razdan like Sivaramakrishnan was an extremely impressive young talent but International cricket at that age was probably too much for them. Razdan played in just 2 Tests and 3 ODIs before he disappeared into the wilderness.

Razdan scalped 5 wickets in 2 Tests at an impressive average of 28 and a healthy strike rate of 48 with a five-wicket haul to his name in his last Test. It still remains a mystery as to why he wasn't given a single opportunity to play for the country after his five-wicket haul in what turned out to be his last Test.