Five injury-prone Indian cricketers

An injury is possibly the worst reason for a cricketer to miss out on competitive action. While injuries are part and parcel of such a physically demanding sport like cricket, a high frequency of these can play a major role in hampering promising careers.The Indian cricket team has suffered quite a bit in recent years, especially in the bowling department, thanks to injury issues for some of their players. On the other hand, a few cricketers have been unfortunate to miss out on great opportunities due to injuries at crucial junctures of their careers.Let’s take a look at India’s 5 most injury-prone cricketers in the past few years.

#5 Varun Aaron

Aaron has been known as one of India’s fastest bowlers

One of India’s fastest bowlers, Varun Aaron, has also been among the prominent injury-prone Indian cricketers in recent years. His injuries have perhaps been the greatest reason for Aaron having played very few matches for his national side despite being around for a while.

The strongly-built pacer could have made it to the team for India’s tour of Australia in 2011/12; however, an ill-timed back injury put him completely out of track. Aaron recovered to play in the IPL, but suffered from a relapse during the tournament and was forced out of action again.

Varun Aaron’s injury woes caught up with him again in November 2014, when an injured quadricep muscle warranted him to go off the field during an ODI against Sri Lanka. The Jharkhand express bowler returned to action in the later half of 2015 and has managed to hold on to his fitness since then.

#4 Ishant Sharma

Ishant has been India’s fast-bowling spearhead in Test cricket since the tour of Sri Lanka last year

The most experienced bowler in India's current crop, Ishant Sharma has also had a career that has been marred by injuries. After having a largely injury-free period during the initial few years of his career, Ishant confronted a major injury for the first time in the year 2012.

He was forced to undergo an ankle surgery which put him out of the frame for a long time. Fitness-wise, things were on track for Ishant Sharma until a knee injury during the tour to Australia in 2014/15 saw him sidelined for another long period which included the 2015 ICC World Cup.

A rejuvenated Sharma made a brilliant return to Test cricket as he rediscovered his old form on India's trip to Sri Lanka last year. However, a hamstring injury during the Ranji Trophy in October 2015 put Ishant Sharma out for a while once again.

#3 Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary’s career has been affected adversely by injuries

Manoj Tiwary may be among the unluckiest Indian cricketers to not get enough opportunities in the national team; however, multiple injuries have not helped his cause either. The man who was marked to be the next big thing of Indian cricket hasn’t even had a proper stint in the team.

Tiwary’s rendezvous with injuries began even before his international career began. He was due to make his debut in the year 2007 but failed to make it thanks to an injury during the training sessions. In March 2013, the Bengal batsman suffered a shoulder injury which saw him miss out on some domestic cricket.

A few months later, Manoj Tiwary was on the sidelines once again owing to a knee injury which saw him out of action for close to 4 months. Being injury-prone has unimaginably hampered Tiwary’s progress as an international cricketer.

#2 Mohammed Shami

Mohammad Shami hasn’t played for India since the 2015 World Cup

While the young Indian pacer hardly showed signs of being injury-prone in his first couple of years in international cricket, it all came crashing for Mohammed Shami post the 2015 World Cup. So much so, that he has been out of international action till this date.

This is perhaps one of the longest injury spells one has seen for an Indian cricketer in the past few years. Shami had just about recovered from his knee injury towards the end of last year when a hamstring injury caught up with him before he could play a single match in Australia.

Mohammed Shami has been named in the squad for the first ever T20 Asia Cup and the World T20; however, experts of the game are looking at it as a risky decision considering Shami’s persistent injury woes.

#1 Ashish Nehra

The 36-year-old’s career has been plagued with injuries many a time

Ashish Nehra is the undisputed king of injury-prone Indian cricketers as his career has suffered badly because of it. Although fast bowlers are the most likely contenders for picking up injuries every now and then, Nehra’s situation has been as worse as it comes.

It all started after he had made a huge impression in the 2003 World Cup, when an ankle injury put him out of action and prompted a surgery. Since then, injuries have plagued Ashish Nehra’s career and destroyed his chances of becoming India’s leading pacer.

His last major injury came during the 2011 World Cup when he broke his finger during the Indo-Pak semi-final. Nehra’s next international appearance came more than 4 years later in the recent T20I series against Australia.

However, it may be a little too late as the left-arm pacer is already 36.