3 well-known Indian players who may never get to play test cricket

Test cricket is the ultimate dream of every cricketer. No matter how well one performs in ODIs and T20Is, their skill set is never tested to its fullest in these formats. It is only after facing the rigors of the longest format of the game that a player truly discovers himself. Representing your country in a test match after being picked from the millions is indeed a privilege.

Luck plays a big factor in any sport. Some players have burst on to the test arena after just a couple of good seasons while others have not been able to find a place even after performing consistently for years.

Sometimes, playing too much first-class cricket habituates a player to lower standards of the game. Thus, it becomes difficult for such players to adjust to the higher level of test cricket and are unable to perform well. This is particularly seen in countries which do not have a well-established domestic setup.

Over the years, we have seen so many players succeed in abbreviated formats of the game but had to wait for a long time to earn their maiden test call-up. Some of these have never played the longest format and in today's times, it looks unlikely that their time will ever come.

Let us take a look at 3 well-known Indian cricketers who may never get to play test cricket.

Note: Only those Indian cricketers who are above 30 years of age and have played 40 or more limited-overs matches have been considered here.

#3 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu, the Hyderabad batsman, has been in the scheme of things for a long time. Yet, he has had a start-stop career in international cricket and it took really long for him to don the India colors.

Rayudu was a late-entrant into the Indian team and had to wait quite a while despite having solid performances under his belt before he eventually made his international debut in July 2013. Cricket experts believe his impressive performances should have been rewarded lot earlier.

In his limited-overs career, Rayudu has an average of 50 in 34 ODIS that he has played for India. He has been a seasoned campaigner in first-class cricket scoring over 6000 runs at an average of 45 in 97 games.

Rayudu, 32 already, might not be looked as a test prospect anymore since team India has got enough players fighting for the limited spots. For someone whose domestic performance has been decent but not impressive enough to catch selectors’ eye, it is difficult to find a place for him at this point in time. However, he can look to build a successful career for India in ODI and T20 cricket still as he has got all the credentials of a limited-overs player.

#2 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav has been a veteran on the domestic circuit for quite a few years now. Playing for Maharashtra, he has scored close to 5000 First-class runs at an average of 46 with 13 hundreds.

Like many others, Jadhav too had spent a large part of his prime years waiting for India call-up. He made his ODI debut in November 2014 and has played 40 ODIs since then. He showed promise for a while but has been dropped from the team due to inconsistent performances.

Representing India in test cricket is unlikely for Kedar Jadhav anytime soon, especially after losing his place from the limited-over sides. Jadhav has never donned the whites for India and is unlikely to do so now with age not on his side.

#1 Robin Uthappa

The Karnataka batsman has been a superstar in T20 cricket and the IPL for a number of years now. However, you will be surprised to know that he has never represented India in test cricket. Uthappa made his debut for India in April 2006 against England and has played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is.

His performances in neither of the formats have been noteworthy. Uthappa created a reputation of being a good finisher in the 2007-08 period. Inconsistent performances saw him getting axed from the team later. He made a couple of brief comebacks but could never hold on to his place in the Indian team.

With Wriddhiman Saha being the regular wicket-keeper and India having Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik as a back-up, there is no place for another wicket-keeper at the moment. Also, there are enough candidates waiting for a spot in India’s top and middle order. Considering this, Uthappa is unlikely to find a place now.