10 Indian pacers who faded into obscurity

#9 V R V Singh

Vikram Raj Vir Singh or VRV Singh created uproar in his early years, clocking speeds of above 145 kmph regularly. Being viewed as the next big thing in Indian cricket's fast bowling history, he was fast-tracked into the Indian squad as a young 22-year old for the tour of West Indies in 2006. With a lot of promise and expectations on his shoulders, VRV played 2 Tests on that tour and returned with 2 wickets.

He was still retained for the tour of South Africa later that year and played 2 Tests there too, but returned with only 3 wickets to show for his efforts. Although not in the squad for 2007 World Cup, he was again selected for the tour of Bangladesh after India's early exit from the global event.

There VRV played the first test and was dropped for the second, in which Ishant Sharma made his debut. Soon selectors ran out of patience and he was never again selected for the national team.

After a spate of injuries, he also lost a lot of his speed. Out of the Punjab system for 3 years now and without an IPL contract, the pace of VRV seems a very distant memory.

Career stats of VRV Singh

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#8 Pankaj Singh

Pankaj Singh knocked on selectors' door continuously with strong performances in Ranji seasons between 2009 and 2014. He was one of the biggest reasons behind Rajasthan's title wins in 2010 and 2011. Selectors rewarded him with a call to India's test squad for the tour of England in 2014. He played the 3rd test of the series, replacing an injured Ishant Sharma.

Generating good swing in his first match, Pankaj could have taken Cook's wicket had Jadeja not dropped that catch off his bowling. He could have also taken another wicket in the same innings only to be denied by the umpire for an LBW appeal.

Pankaj was again selected for the next match and although he took a couple of wickets, he looked wayward and out of control. With India losing the series 1-3, he soon fell out of selectors' radar.

Pankaj was never again considered for national selection. He is still playing domestic cricket, a regular feature for Rajasthan and West Zone and hopes for an IPL contract. But national comeback for the 32 year old medium-pacer looks unlikely.

Career stats of Pankaj Singh