3 Indian batsmen who had an abrupt end to their ODI career
Cricket is not the national sport of India but it is the most popular sport in the country. Moreover, calling cricket a 'sport' in India would be a misnomer; most Indians consider it as a religion.
The popularity of the game increased manifold after the memorable 1983 World Cup, when the Indian team won the prestigious title of 'world champions'.
Today, millions of talented aspiring cricketers are eager to represent the country at the international stage. But to make it to the Indian squad you require tons of dedication, hard-work and persistence.
Team India is renowned to produce exceptional batsmen in the international cricket arena. However, there have been a few talented Indian batsmen who, despite having an enormous amount of talent, could not finish their limited overs career on a high note.
Here are three talented batsmen who had an abrupt end to their one-day careers.
#3 Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa became an overnight sensation when he scored a brilliant 86 against England in his debut ODI match. His improvisation skills were way ahead of his time, which made him a dangerous batsman in the eyes of many.
The Karnataka born player became a regular feature in the Indian limited overs side after this dream debut in 2006. Uthappa was selected in the Indian squad for the 2007 World Cup, which turned out to be an awful tournament for the Men in Blue. However, the Indian team emerged as the world champions in the first edition of the T20 World Cup later in the same year.
Uthappa played a few crucial knocks for his team in the tournament, and his phenomenal performances grabbed eyeballs in every corner of the world. His ability to bat anywhere in the batting order made him a vital asset to the team.
Unfortunately however, his form dipped considerably after the Asia Cup of 2008 and he was dropped from the team. The right-handed batsman made a comeback in the year 2014 against Bangladesh and scored a well-compiled half-century, but he lacked consistency in the next seven matches and was eventually dropped.
Uthappa could never make it back to the national side again but continued to play in the domestic circuit. He featured for India in 46 ODI matches, scoring 934 runs.