5 players who were called up to the squad but never played for India

Every child in India has one dream when they pick the bat or ball for the first time. It gives ultimate feeling to them when they wear the Indian jersey and walks into the field to win for their country. We have seen several talented youngsters in India who were lucky to wear the Indian jersey. They have showcased their talents and won the games for their country.

But, there are few cricketers who never had an opportunity to wear the national jersey despite having good records in the domestic cricket. Most of the cricketers are forced to give up the cricket to choose another profession. However, there are some cricketers who devote their entire life to cricket.

The unluckiest thing is not playing for the Indian team even after getting selected in the team. Here are the five players who were called up to the Indian team but did not play a single match in their career. Check it out:

---

#5 Dheeraj Jadhav

Dheeraj Jadhav

The former Indian cricketer from Maharashtra is one of the unluckiest cricketers in India. Despite having tons of runs in the domestic cricket, his dream of wearing the Indian Jersey remained a dream. After his impressive performances in the domestic circuit, he was included in the Indian Test squad for the 4th Test against Australia in 2004. However, he did not get a cap in the presence of the Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in the squad.

In his 76 first-class games, he has scored 5831 runs at a terrific average of 56.06. Dheeraj, who also scored 20 tons in his first-class career, has a top score of unbeaten 260 in first-class cricket. He also has good records in his List-A career. Jadhav has scored 1559 in 37 games that he played at an impressive average of 47, including 3 centuries and 11 fifties.

#4 Shib Sankar Paul

Shib Sankar Paul

Shib Sankar Paul is a former player of the Bengal cricket team. The tall-pacer troubled everyone with his pace during his first-class career. He was a regular for Bengal in the 2000's. He had featured in 61 games and picked up 220 wickets at an average of 24.95 in his first-class career. He also had 15 fifers and 2 ten-wicket hauls with the best bowling figure of 7 for 44. He was also a regular member in India A and Board President XI teams.

His consistent performances earned him a spot in India's Test squad twice - for the 4th Test against Australia at Mumbai in 2004 and the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in the same year. However, he was not lucky enough to don the Indian jersey. Shib Sankar Paul announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in June 2016.,

#3 Ranadeb Bose

Ranadeb Bose

Ranadeb Bose was one of the promising bowlers in India. However, he did not get an opportunity to break into the Indian team. India played a match against Sri Lanka A side after their historic win against England at Trent Bridge in 2007. During the game against Sri Lanka A, Bose managed to pick five wickets. However, the then-skipper, Rahul Dravid decided to choose Sreesanth over Bose for the Test match against Sri Lanka.

Since then, the selectors did not look back at him. However, he never stopped performing in the domestic cricket. He has taken 317 wickets in 91 games at an impressive average of 25.80. Bose also had 24 fifers and 6 ten-wicket hauls in his first-class career. Ranadeb Bose, who never overstepped a delivery in the first-class cricket, was a part of Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

#2 Sunil Valson

Sunil Valson (Right)

A left-arm medium pacer, Sunil Valson, who was included in the Indian squad for the 1983 World Cup for his outstanding performances in the domestic circuit, never featured for India in an international game. During the warm-up game against New Zealand, he dismissed both Kiwi openers and looked like he would break into the Indian team. However, the selectors had other plans as he never played for the Indian team at an international level.

He has played for Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Railways in the Ranji Trophy. In the span of 10-years of career, he featured in 75 games and picked up 212 wickets at an average of 25.35 in the first-class cricket. Valson, who has retired from cricket after his stint with Railways in 1987, is currently serving as the team manager of Delhi Daredevils in IPL. He also played 22 games and picked up 23 wickets at an average of 30.04 in his List-A career.

#1 Rajesh Pawar

Rajesh Pawar

The former Indian cricket, Rajesh Pawar was an important member for Mumbai in the domestic circuit. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler, who is also a hand left-handed batsman, has picked up over 200 wickets and the best knock of unbeaten 95 in his first-class career. In his 84 first-class games, he has taken 281 wickets which included 11 fifers and 2 ten-wicket hauls. He also picked up 39 wickets in 36 List-A games that he played at an average of 34.74.

He played for three teams in the Ranji Trophy - Mumbai, Baroda and Andhra Pradesh. His stellar performances in the domestic cricket earned him a place in India's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2007 World Cup. But, he did not make it into the final 15. He was included in the Test squad for the Test series against Bangladesh in 2007. However, he had to sit out once again in the presence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the squad. He finally retired from all forms of cricket in 2016.