5 players who debuted with Cheteshwar Pujara but couldn't live up to their potential

Right from the time Cheteshwar Pujara made his debut in the year 2010, he has made rapid progress in international cricket. But his journey was not smooth.

He had to overcome a lot of challenges that came along his way. The Indian team at that point was at the peak of their prowess and had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman who were indeed legends and greatest ambassadors to Indian cricket. Making a mark and establishing yourself in the presence of these legendary cricketers was not an easy task.

However, as Pujara was making a strong case for himself and trying to seal a permanent place in the team, a knee injury forced him out of the entire 2011 season. He made a strong comeback by scoring a century against New Zealand in 2012.

But his joy was short lived. The year 2014 was a forgetful year for Pujara. He was woefully out of form and had a string of low scores in England and Australia. He was neither able to counter the swinging deliveries in England nor was he able to get adjusted to bouncy tracks in Australia. Moreover, skipper Virat Kohli also dropped him in the Sydney Test because of his inability to rotate the strike.

Any other cricketer at that moment would have indulged in a lot of introspection and self-doubt. But Pujara was completely unruffled and considered that moment as just a learning curve in his career. He had realized that obstacles are part of everyone’s life and one needs to have a strong mental toughness and fortitude to overcome them.

It is only Pujara who can stand at forward short leg or silly point despite having undergone two knee surgeries. He may not be as flamboyant as the modern-day batsman. But he certainly has the ability to stand tall and grind out the opposition.

The way he has made minor adjustments to his batting technique has yielded him fruitful results. He was instrumental in winning the Test series in Sri Lanka (2015) and Australia (2018-2019).

Apart from Pujara, 2010 also saw five other youngsters making their debut into the Indian Test team. But unlike Pujara, they were unable to establish themselves in the international arena.

#1 Subramaniam Badrinath

Subramaniam Badrinath played only two Tests for India.

If you ever associate the phrase 'right man at the wrong place’, it should definitely be Subramaniam Badrinath.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, he had amassed tonnes of runs for his state in the Ranji Trophy and was truly the backbone of his team. It was only a matter of time that an international call up beckoned him. But, the wait was much longer than anticipated.

Only after he turned 29, he was finally drafted into the Indian team due to the absence of Rahul Dravid. He cashed in on the opportunity by scoring a gutsy half-century (56) against South Africa at Nagpur.

The attack had the likes of Dale Styen, Morne Morkel and Paul Harris and he along Virender Sehwag had stitched together a partnership of 136 runs from 56/3. It was very mature innings from a debutant. Sadly, he just got only one more Test to play for India.

Badrinath's batting statistics in international and domestic cricket

Despite having an excellent record in the domestic circuit, the selectors did not consider him for selection and wanted to give chance to youngsters.

Badrinath announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on August 31, 2018.

#2 Abhimanyu Mithun

Abhimanyu Mithun- A bowler who had a lot of potential, but failed to deliver.

Abhimanyu Mithun started to play professional cricket only after he turned 17. He knew that he needed to put in a lot of effort and hard work in order to play for the country.

Mithun made a spectacular entry into the domestic circuit picking up 11 wickets against Uttar Pradesh on his debut. He shot into prominence by picking up 47 wickets in his maiden Ranji Trophy season for Karnataka and helped the team in reaching the finals.

A long list of injuries to the Indian fast bowlers ensured that Mithun earned his place for the Sri Lankan tour in 2010. He caught the attention of everyone in the first Test at Galle. In oppressive conditions and on pitches that offered minimal assistance for pacers, Mithun bowled exceptionally well and picked up 4 wickets.

But a string of below-par performances in the IPL and also not possessing many variations in his armory led him to lose his place in the team.

Abhimanyu Mithun's domestic and international career record.

With the current bunch of fast bowlers performing exceptionally well, it is highly unlikely that he would come back into that team again.

#3 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina could not match his limited over credentials into the Test match format. S — Suresh Raina could not match his limited over credentials into the Test match format.

The moment you hear his name, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is his fielding ability and audacious stroke play. But, on the other side, one can also see Suresh Raina as a misfit in the team in the longest format of the game.

Possessing a typical left hander’s elegance, he had the ability to play all the shots in the manual. He had a dream start to his Test match career, scoring a fine hundred against Sri Lanka at Colombo and following it up with a half-century in the next match.

However, what transpired later was indeed quite baffling. In the next 17 Tests that he played, he managed to score just 6 half centuries. His weakness with the shot ball was very well exploited by the opposition. His temperament is clearly suited only to the limited overs format.

Suresh Raina's Domestic and International career record.

Possessing an average of 35 in ODIs and just 26 in Tests clearly highlights that Raina in white and Raina in blue are two different players.

#4 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha was always under the shadows of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Hailing from a small town of Siliguri, Wriddhiman Saha’s exceptional performances at the Under-19 and Under-22 levels earned him a place into the Bengal Ranji team.

For a large part of his career, he was under the shadows of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He finally got a chance to make his debut at Nagpur against the Proteas. Playing as a specialist batsman, he caught the attention of everyone by scoring an old fashioned 36 off 101 balls. The selectors subsequently picked him for further tours as a reserve wicketkeeper.

However, in the period between 2010-2014, he had managed to play only two Test matches.

His international career got back into shape only after Dhoni’s retirement in 2014. Whatever limited opportunities he got, he impressed everyone with his batting as well as keeping. Out of the 32 Test matches that he played, he scored 3 centuries and 5 half centuries.

Wriddhiman Saha's domestic and international career record.

But an injury to him at the wrong time paved way for Rishabh Pant and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Moreover, coach Ravi Shastri pointed out that a player would not be picked based on their past performance and current form would be given topmost priority.

At 34, it is highly unlikely that he would get another look in into the team. One needs to definitely ponder about his stop-start career.

#5 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat played only one Test match for India.

Jaydev Unadkat rose to prominence after his stellar performance in 2010 Under-19 World cup.

Due to an injury to Zaheer Khan, he was soon inducted into the team and made his debut at Centurion. He bowled close to 26 overs, failing to pick up a wicket. There was a talk going on at that time that he was too raw for international cricket and he was required to gain experience in the domestic circuit.

As his career progressed, Unadkat lost his abilities to become a Test match bowler. He went down on pace and started developing lot variations which were suited only to white ball cricket. Though he performed well for India – A, he could not get into the Test team.