The current depth of the Indian cricket team is such that the fraternity is blessed with countless players of match-winning quality across all three formats. In fact, at times, the competition gets so intense that several deserving players- through little fault of their own- find themselves out of the squad.
Last year, for example, India had to field two separate teams in the white-ball and red-ball formats because of the overlapping England and Sri Lanka tours. And while the ‘second-string’ India team had some poor luck with COVID-cases in Sri Lanka; in a way, that series clearly laid down the benchmark for players who were and weren’t in India’s scheme of test cricket. And from the looks of it, it’s going to be a pretty difficult ask for these players to find their way back into the red-ball side.
So who are these players, exactly? Read on to find out, as we pick 3 India players who may never get to play another test match for India.
1. Shikhar Dhawan
With 34 test caps to his name, Shikhar Dhawan is the most experienced player to be featuring on this list. It would be a shame if a batsman of his caliber isn’t able to add more caps to that tally; but putting all things into account, Shikhar’s test career for team India seems all but done.
Shikhar had a blazing test debut against the Aussies at Mohali, scoring a magnificent 187 to headline India’s victory. But his career never really took off after that magnificent start. In his next 57 innings, Dhawan managed only 11 more scores in excess of 50. His last appearance for India in whites came in the 2018 England tour.
All these impediments, coupled with the fact that he’s aged 36 and has already started to get overlooked, at times unfairly, in some of India’s recent assignments, makes it look very unlikely that he’ll ever represent India in tests again.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Once heralded as the next big thing in Indian cricket, it’s really sad to think of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s test match career for India as a case of ‘what could’ve been’. A smart customer of swing, Bhuvi has had a few memorable spells with the red-cherry in his 37 red-ball innings for the national team.
But unfortunately, injuries have continually maligned Bhuvi’s cause in the longest format of the game. Consequently, this has motivated him to prioritize limited-overs cricket and the IPL over first-class cricket. Bhuvi’s last appearance in the whites dates to the South Africa tour in 2018; and till date, that remains his most recent appearance in red-ball cricket.
At 31 (soon becoming 32) years of age, Bhuvi has started to approach the twilight of his career as a fast-bowler. And given his infamous history with injuries, it would seem to serve him better if he disassociated himself with red-ball cricket altogether.
3. Hardik Pandya
Pandya, like the aforementioned players on this list, made his most recent test appearance in 2018. Statistically, it would seem that HP has a lot to offer as far as his test prospects are concerned. At just 28-years of age, a mercurial fast-bowling all-rounder such as himself would seem to be the perfect fit for any test side.
But a closer look into Hardik’s story would reveal that he has been suffering with a chronic back injury, which has taken quite a toll on his skillsets as an all-rounder. In recent times, Hardik’s bowling prowess has been restricted to minimal; and on few the times he did bowl, he has looked far from effective.
It seems that Hardik, like several of his fellow, flamboyant, white-ball colleagues, is prioritizing limited-overs cricket and IPL over featuring in tests. In fact, a few months back, there were rumors of him announcing his retirement from the format. Considering all these factors, it doesn’t seem likely that Hardik would get to add to his 11 test match caps any time soon.