Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, India had a memorable year in 2016. They achieved plenty as a team and had some standout individual performers as well. A few of those performers were youngsters who were making their mark on international cricket.
As with any year, 2016 saw the retirement of several star performers and as time catches up with the players, it won’t be a huge surprise if 2017 saw a few more names call time on their international career, including some legendary Indian performers.
Here are 5 famous Indian cricketers whose career might end in 2017:
Irfan Pathan
India haven’t had a lot of luck when it comes to all-rounders. While there have been plenty who have put their hands up, few have been able to sustain their place in the side for an extended period of time. One of the few who managed that was Irfan Pathan but despite picking up more than 300 wickets and scoring nearly 3,000 runs for India, he hasn’t played international cricket since 2012.
The all-rounder is just 32 but has shown that he hasn’t lost his touch. He was phenomenal in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has been one of the most consistent all-rounders in the domestic circuit but that hasn’t earned him a recall just yet.
The emergence of Hardik Pandya has all but meant that his hopes of a recall in T20Is are almost over and so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of India’s most successful all-rounders (statistically) called time on his international career, which promised so much but still never quite fulfilled on that promise.
Munaf Patel
The unsung hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, Munaf Patel finished as India’s third-leading wicket-taker behind Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj and like his fellow pacer, it looks likely that Munaf Patel will call time on his international career.
The 33-year-old fast bowler hasn’t played for India since August 2011 and with plenty of young fast bowlers coming through the ranks and Munaf making little impact in the domestic circuit, it looks unlikely that he will play for India again. And that might mean that the bowler with over 100 scalps for India across all formats might follow Zaheer Khan into retirement from international cricket.
Yuvraj Singh
There can be little doubt that Yuvraj Singh is one of the best players to have ever represented India in coloured clothing. After all, he was integral in India’s two World Cup titles in the last decade. But time catches up with everyone and it looks as though it has with Yuvraj Singh as well.
Although the all-rounder was recalled last year for the Australia T20I series and played in the World T20 as well, he hasn’t played since then. And it almost looks like his comeback was the result of a horses for causes selection, aimed at helping India claim another World T20.
While the 35-year-old is still in great form, as evident from his Ranji Trophy record, it looks as though it might be difficult for him to find a way back to the Indian set-up. As a result, a player with over 10,000 runs and nearly 150 wickets for India might have to call it a day even if he feels as though he has a lot to contribute to the Indian team.
Gautam Gambhir
With over 10,000 runs for India across all formats, there can be little denying Gautam Gambhir’s place as one of India’s finest openers. The gritty southpaw has bailed India out on countless occasions but with India settling on an opening pair in Tests and youngsters performing well in the domestic circuit, Gambhir’s time might be up.
While the 35-year-old is still in great form with the bat as was evident from his domestic performances in the ongoing season, his competition is likely to be the reason for his retirement. Despite his impressive performances in the IPL, it is in the longest format that he is likely to play for India again.
But with Murali Vijay and KL Rahul as the established opening pair in Tests and the likes of PK Panchal and Abhinav Mukund, who are nearly a decade younger than Gambhir showing a lot of consistency in the domestic circuit, they might get the nod next time, should an injury arises or if a back-up is necessary.
Harbhajan Singh
For a long time, many believed that Anil Kumble could not be replaced and along came Harbhajan Singh to change all of that. He bowled brilliantly in tandem with India’s all-time leading wicket-taker and it got to the point where people said that no one could take Harbhajan’s place.
And irrespective of the type of pitches that India have played on, Ravichandran Ashwin has shown that the baton has been passed and his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja is one that will hold Indian spin cupboard in good stead for another few years.
The problem for the 36-year-old off spinner is not the performances of those two but that of Jayant Yadav, who was included for the England series and impressed one and all with both and ball and the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, who are in the picture and are both not only younger but also provide an all-round facet to their game, which might mean that Harbhajan might have played his last game for India and might have to call it a day.
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