3 Indian cricketers who were born in the wrong generation

With a highly populated country like India, cricketers are produced in almost every street. This has increased the level of competition which has, in turn, helped Indian cricket. Only a few with great determination and hard work get the opportunity to represent their country.

Others, who toil hard in the domestic level, fall short by a very small margin in achieving their dreams. Although a few get a chance to play for India, they are not offered the luxury of a long run of games to prove their talent.

Eventually, they fall out of favor and go back to Ranji cricket. Let us have a look at three of such cricketers who could have been great players for India.

#1 Amol Muzumdar

Amol Muzumdar is the unluckiest player to play in India. The Mumbai batsman has had almost every Ranji record to his name but was never able to find a place for himself in the Indian team. Until Wasim Jaffer recently smashed the record, Amol was the highest ever Ranji run-getter till then.

When Indian batting was at its best, Amol was piling on the runs for Mumbai and hence he did not get the elusive chance. He later quit Mumbai and played for Assam and Andhra Pradesh before he retired. He has had a decent stint as a commentator and was also appointed as the batting coach of Rajasthan Royals.

#2 S Badrinath

Badrinath has had a wonderful Ranji career for many consistent seasons. He has piled on tons of runs for his state and has topped the batting charts on many occasions. Everyone thought Badrinath will have a long-term career with India as a middle-order batsman. However, very few opportunities came Badrinath's way and he did very little to prove his talent in those games.

The reason could be pointed to tight competition for the middle-order position in the longer format. In IPL, Badri was mainly used as a floater by CSK and got them out of precarious situations in many games. However, this did not guarantee him a place in the national squad for the limited overs format.

Eventually, CSK decided to part ways with him and Badri did not play an IPL game after that. He has recently quit cricket for Tamil Nadu and is now making a name for himself as a commentator in the IPL.

#3 Rajinder Goel

It is surprising that the record for highest wickets in Ranji Trophy is still held by a 76-year-old bowler from Punjab. Being a left-arm spinner, Rajinder Goel picked up 750 first-class wickets in his career. However, it is sad that Rajinder did not get an opportunity to represent the Indian Cricket team.

Goel's chances were restricted mainly due to the performances of Bishan Singh Bedi, who had a similar bowling style. Rajinder Goel also represented Haryana and Delhi in his career. It should be of note that Sunil Gavaskar mentioned Rajinder Goel as one of his idols in his book. Had he represented India, Rajinder Goel could have held similar records in international cricket too.