5 Indian cricketers whose careers might end in 2019

Being a cricket crazy nation, India produces multiple talents and each year there is a bunch of young cricketers who hog the limelight.

The 2019 calendar year is another busy one for the Men in Blue. Indian Premier League 2019, ICC 2019 World Cup, World Test Championships, and multiple other bilateral series - there is a lot to look up to.

From Gautam Gambhir to Munaf Patel to Mohammad Kaif to RP Singh - a bunch of renowned cricketers put curtains to their playing career in 2018.

It becomes extremely difficult to continue playing at the highest level once you are over 35 years of age. Only a select few cricketers can manage it.

The fact that doors are opened for budding cricketers to enter the scene also closes doors for some experienced cricketers.

In this article, we take a look at 5 famous Indian cricketers who might hang their shoes in the year 2019.

---

#5 Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra took 5 wickets on his Test debut

Amit Mishra has represented India in 36 ODIs (64 wickets at an average of 23.62 and economy rate of 4.73) and 22 Tests (76 wickets at an average of 35.72 and economy rate of 3.19).

The leg spinner has a decent record but has always been in and out of the national team. He last played an ODI for India on 29 October 2016 against New Zealand. It has been over two years since Mishra played for the Men in Blue.

At 36 years of age, it is evident that retirement is fast approaching for the Delhi-born player. He will be seen playing for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming edition of IPL. Mishra's performance was impressive in the last edition.

He picked up 12 wickets at a strike rate of 18.50 in the 10 matches he played. His overall IPL record is also highly impressive. Mishra has 146 wickets in 136 IPL matches - making him the domestic leagues' 2nd highest wicket-taker of all time (behind Malinga.)

Mishra also played for Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He clinched 16 wickets in 10 matches -- 9 of those 16 were in the first 2 matches itself (against Assam and Jammu and Kashmir).

The leggie's form has not been the best recently and there is a high probability of him retiring in case he is unable to perform well in IPL 2019.

#4 Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan broke into the side as a young 19-year old

Once India's go-to allrounder - Irfan Pathan is currently struggling at the lower rungs of domestic cricket. The best part of Pathan's career was undoubtedly the beginning when he broke into the scene.

The 34-year-old last played an ODI for India against Sri Lanka on August 4, 2012. Meanwhile, the last Test he played for India was against South Africa in April 2008.

The Baroda-born player represents Jammu and Kashmir in domestic cricket. Even though he has picked up quite a few wickets - 14 in his last 4 domestic matches - his performance with the bat has dwindled.

It is highly unlikely that the bowling all-rounder will ever receive a national team call-up again. Age is also not on his side and the Indian speedster may finally call it quits in 2019.

Pathan's career statistics - 1544 runs and 173 wickets in 120 ODIs, 1105 runs and 100 wickets in 29 Tests, 172 runs and 28 wickets in 24 T20Is - are indeed quite impressive. An extremely promising player who could never achieve the peak Internationally.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Bhajji has 417 Test wickets to his name

One of India's most prominent off-break bowlers of all time, Harbhajan Singh is likely to call it quits in 2019.

Bhajji played 103 Tests for India wherein he clinched 417 wickets. The 38-year-old also played 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is and has 294 scalps in both the formats combined. The Turbanator last played a Test match for India in August 2015, and ODI in October 2015.

Even though Harbhajan managed to make sporadic comebacks in the side every now and then, his bowling has not been up to the mark. The lethal zip and turn which he produced earlier were missing.

The emergence of players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jadeja has also kept Bhajji out of the national team.

After representing Mumbai Indians from 2008 to 2017, Harbhajan was seen in Chennai Super Kings colours in the 2018 edition. He only picked 7 wickets in the 13 matches he played was also quite expensive - having an economy rate of 8.48.

Bhajji is likely to bid adieu to the sport after the 2019 IPL.

#2 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina was one of India's best finishers

Most runs in IPL (4985 runs), most catches in IPL (95 catches), most matches in IPL (176 matches) - Suresh Raina holds multiple IPL records.

However, the aggressive left-handed batsman is past his best days. Raina has proved his ability as one of the best finishers in limited overs cricket. He last played an ODI for India on July 17, 2018. His last T20I was also against England in July 2018.

Although the Indian selectors have trusted Raina every now and then by throwing opportunities at him, he has squandered them. The Muradnagar-born player does not possess the magic touch he once had.

He plays for Uttar Pradesh in First Class cricket and India C in List A cricket. In his last 10 matches, the 32-year-old has hit 4 fifties. However, the performers of upcoming youngsters are far better than him. If he is unable to pull out something extraordinary from the bag soon, it may just be curtains on his international career.

The CSK player scored 445 runs in 15 matches at a healthy strike rate of 132.44 in the previous IPL edition. Raina will also be looking to coming out all guns blazing in the upcoming IPL season to catch the eye of the selectors.

Even though Raina may retire from International cricket, he is likely to continue playing domestic T20 leagues.

#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvi was bought by Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs. 1 crore during the recently held IPL auctions

Yuvi is undoubtedly one of the greatest limited overs players of all time. The 37-year-old remained an integral part of the team for over a decade and represented the Men in Blue in 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is, and 40 Tests.

The Batting all-rounder was an integral part of both of India's World Cup triumphs - the World T20 in 2007 and ICC World Cup in 2011.

However, after a sad tryst with cancer in 2011, Yuvi could never be the same again. One of India's most loved cricketers, Yuvraj has had an average form domestically. A return to the national side seems unlikely.

The Chandigarh-born player, who has not played an ODI for India since June 2017, has himself revealed that he will take a call on his career after the 2019 World Cup.

Yuvi had a pathetic record in IPL 2018 - scoring just 65 in 8 matches at an average of 10.83 and strike rate of 89.04. These figures are completely alien to a player such as Yuvraj but they are indeed true. The future of Yuvi will also depend immensely upon his performance in IPL 2019.