4 prominent Indian cricketers who played just One Test Match so far

Cricket is arguably the most competitive sport in India. There is competition at every level and international cricket is altogether a huge arena. It is never easy to become an international cricketer in India.

With the advent of T20 cricket and IPL, young cricketers are given a platform to audition for the next biggest test of their careers, which is T20I and ODI’s. However, test match cricket is a completely different animal.

Playing Test Match cricket is the ultimate objective of every cricketer. A player has to perform exceedingly well in first-class cricket to stake his claim for the Test match selection.

The next biggest challenge after getting into the Test squad is to keep performing consistently. Opportunities will be very limited and competition will be really intense. Overall, there are more than 400 cricketers who have just played only one test match for their country and then vanished.

Players like Robin Singh, Lall Singh, Nikhil Chopra, Saba Karim, Ajay Sharma, Rahul Sanghvi, Iqbal Siddiqui, and many more have played only one Test match for India.

On that note, let’s take a look at the 4 prominent Indian cricketers who played just one Test match so far.

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#4 Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha struggled for consistency throughout his career

Naman Ojha is one of the most underrated and unlucky cricketers in India. The Madhya Pradesh wicket-keeper batsman has played 135 first-class games and scored almost 10,000 runs, which includes 21 centuries.

He made his test debut for India on August 2015 when he was 32. His path to the Indian test team was blocked by MS Dhoni initially, and then by Wriddhiman Saha. Though he did not perform poorly on his debut test, the next opportunity never came for him

Naman Ojha has scored 56 runs in his only test match and did well behind the stumps. He will be 35 in July and any chances of a Test match comeback looks really slim at the moment. Also, young keepers like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan are playing well right now. Interestingly, Ojha also has played only one ODI for India.

#3 Karn Sharma

Karn Sharma made his Test match debut in Adelaide

The leg-spinner from Uttar Pradesh made his test debut at Adelaide on 9 December 2014. It was a dreadful debut as Karn Sharma bowled a total of 49 overs in that game, picked up four wickets, but went for 238 runs. India lost the game by 48 runs, despite some Virat Kohli heroics.

Ever since the game against Australia in Adelaide, Karn Sharma never played for the national team in any of the formats of the game. Brilliant performances of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja kept him out of the side, and never gave him an opportunity for a comeback in Test match cricket.

Karn also has played two One Day Internationals and one Twenty20I for India, but nothing since 2014. He is currently 30 and could make a comeback to the Indian team with some good performances in first-class cricket.

#2 Vinay Kumar

Vinay Kumar's Test career lasted only one game

Vinay Kumar is one of the most consistent performers in first-class cricket. He has played 123 games in Ranji Trophy and has picked up 445 wickets. However, he could not reprise his domestic form in the international stage.

He made his test debut in 2012 when India toured Australia. He came into the team for the third test at Perth, which India lost by an innings and 37 runs. He bowled 13 overs in the game and picked up one wicket.

The 34-year-old has played 31 One Day Internationals and 9 Twenty20I’s for India, picking up a total of 48 wickets. His last game in Indian colours came in 2013 when India played Australia at Bengaluru. With age not on his side, Vinay Kumar’s international career seems to be already over.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat's only Test match appearance was in 2010

Jaydev Unadkat made his test debut for India when he was only 19. He played in the Test match against South Africa at Centurion, which India lost by an innings and 25 runs. The left arm seamer bowled 26 overs in that game and went for 101 runs. He was not able to pick up a single wicket and proved ineffective.

After his disastrous debut outing, the 26-year-old never appeared in a Test match for India. Unadkat has played 65 first-class games and picked up more than 200 wickets. He has also played 7 ODI’s and 10 T20I’s for India.

Though he has made a come back into the India T20 side because of some good performances in IPL 2017, he has clearly not done enough to get back into the ODI and Test side. He is only 26 and has every chance to make a Test comeback in the near future.