5 IPL Heroes who failed at the International stage

#4 Abhishek Nayar

Abhishek Nayar was given very limited opportunities for India

An all-rounder who is capable with the bat and can bowl with pace is the rarest commodity in Indian cricket. The importance of Hardik Pandya in the current Indian setup proves the point.

A decade ago, Indian fans hoped for glorious performances from another such all-rounder, Abhishek Nayar. Born in Hyderabad, Nayar established himself in Mumbai cricket.

The 25-year-old was picked up in the first season of the IPL by his local franchise Mumbai Indians. In the debut edition, Nayar scored 161 runs in 14 matches while batting in the lower order and had only one wicket from six overs of medium-pace. He improved his numbers in the subsequent season with a tally of 193 runs and four wickets.

Along with the IPL performance, Nayar’s impressive outings in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai helped him get into the national team.

He was selected in ODIs for the West Indies tour in 2009. Nayar did not get to bat or bowl in his first two matches. He subsequently played a single match in the Champions Trophy 2009 where he remained zero not out and conceded 17 runs in his three overs. He was never considered for the Indian team again.