5 written-off legends who made dramatic comebacks to the Indian team

Professional sport can be cruel as it very often does not give you a second chance. While some cricketers are given more time and axed only after a prolonged run of bad form, some have it tough as they are unfairly shown the door without having been given ample opportunities.It takes a true sportsman's dedication and hard work to have faith in himself during those times and make a dramatic comeback to the national side later. While such comebacks are woefully short-lived for some, it is often the beginning of a new dawn for a few others.Let us look at 5 written-off legends who made dramatic comebacks to the Indian team.

#5 Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra played his last India match in March 2011

If you thought T20 was the format only for fresh and young talent, think again. Ashish Nehra at 36 is still defying the odds and has earned an almost unexpected call up to the national team once again. This can be only thought of as a true reward for Nehra's hard work and undying devotion for the game.

Nehra who recorded his personal career-best T20 figures of 4-0-10-4 against the RCB in this year's IPL has been in sublime form in the tournament. He was the third highest wicket-taker in IPL 8 after Malinga and Chahal as he finished with 22 scalps to his credit.

"I've always bowled well in the IPL, but I haven't been amidst wickets. Maybe that's why nobody has noticed me. This time because I am taking wickets I guess everyone's talking about me," Nehra had said after picking up four wickets against the RCB on that day.

Nehra had been running in well and swinging the ball in addition to picking up crucial wickets in the IPL 8. His good work has not gone unnoticed after all.

#4 Yuvraj Singh

The 2015 Vijay Hazare Trophy has been Yuvraj Singh’s platform to roar back into form

Even when Yuvraj Singh was going through a prolonged slump in form, there was widespread hope and belief that he would surely make his comeback into the national team some day. Yuvraj is one of the most loved Indian cricketers and he has been one of the finest batsmen India have ever produced.

Even when Yuvraj Singh failed to perform, he kept attracting huge bids from IPL franchises. The Vijay Hazare Trophy this year witnessed Yuvraj coming back to form -- if his unbeaten 78 against Rajasthan was brilliant, his 98 against Mumbai in the quarter-final was simply majestic.

His knock helped Punjab defeat Mumbai in a mammoth 300+ run chase. His selection in the T20I squad now is a justifiable reward for his brilliant domestic form this season.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda just before the news of his inclusion in the T20I squad came in, Yuvraj said, "My goal is to always enjoy and keep playing the sport. As I have always said that I let my bat do the talking. If I make it or not it's up to the selectors. But, if I do get selected it would make me happy as everyone would like to keep representing their country. My drive is the passion involved within the game."

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has been named in the T20 squad headed for Australia

When Harbhajan Singh ran through the Australian side at the famous Kolkata Test in 2001, he instantly became a star for an entire nation. But Bhajji's form underwent a sharp decline after 2007 and he found himself in and out of the team at regular intervals.

Things reached the state of nadir for him when he was axed from the ODI squad in 2011. He failed to impress in the 2012 IPL and was subsequently dropped from the Test team in 2013 after a string of rather indifferent performances.

The prolific rise of Ashwin has not helped the Turbanator's cause either as the former, because of his superb run of form, has remained the preferred choice in the last few years. Harbhajan was rewarded for his brilliant performances in the IPL in 2014 and 2015 and called back to the Test squad for the lone Test match against Bangladesh in 2015.

He also made it back to the ODI and T20I squad for the tour of Zimbabwe where India sent a second string side. Harbhajan has however failed to impress ever since his comeback and needs to pull up his socks if he wants to retain his place in the team.

#2 Sourav Ganguly

There was great drama surrounding Sourav Ganguly’s axing and subsequent comeback

Whenever the issue of comeback in Indian cricket is raised, it is Sourav Ganguly's name that comes to the mind. Ganguly scored only three runs in his ODI debut against the West Indies and was immediately dropped soon after.

He was recalled to the ODI team in 1996 and made his Test debut against England at Lord's on that tour after Navjot Singh Sidhu backed out under dramatic circumstances. Ganguly scored a glorious century on debut becoming only the third cricketer in history to achieve such a feat.

Following a poor run of form and his spat with the then coach Greg Chappell in 2005, Ganguly was relieved of his captaincy duties and ultimately dropped from the team. The controversial axing of Ganguly caused widespread protests as he was believed to have been unfairly treated by Chappell.

He, however, made a dramatic comeback to the Test team against South Africa in 2006 and scored heavily on that tour. He subsequently made a comeback to the ODI team against the West Indies scoring a brilliant 98 in his first match.

#1 Mohinder Amarnath

Mohinder Amarnath is the true ‘comeback king’ in Indian cricket

Mohinder Amarnath made his debut against Australia in 1969 but failed to impress and was dropped soon after. He had to wait for a period of seven years to get another opportunity in the Test team until he made his comeback against the Kiwis in 1976.

Amarnath scored 64 runs in his comeback Test which was followed by a good all-round performance of 75 runs and 4 wickets in the very next Test match at Christchurch. Amarnath went to become successful both in ODIs and Tests during that period.

Though he had emerged onto the scene as a bowling all-rounder, he soon established himself as a reliable top order batsman. He was one of the heroes of India's 1983 World Cup campaign where he was the Man of the Match in two important games and scored 237 runs at an average of 29.62 and picked up 8 wickets in that tournament.

He had undergone a series of setbacks till then but whenever he was dropped for a brief period, he never failed to make it back to the side. He was the true king of comebacks as far as Indian cricket is concerned.