3 Indian batsmen who were dropped from the ODI team despite never being dismissed
The Indian team has a rich history of producing skilled cricketers, many of whom played for a long time and achieved lasting fame. But there have also been some talented players who were dropped from the team despite doing no wrong.
Sometimes the circumstances are such that a player is overlooked for reasons out of his control. There could be a more accomplished player waiting in the wings, or the return of an injured player who had been temporarily replaced. At other times it's just a case of plain bad luck.
Here, we look at three Indian batsmen who were dropped from the national ODI team despite never being dismissed:
#1 Faiz Fazal
Faiz Fazal played an ODI for India against Zimbabwe in 2016. He struck a brilliant 55 not out in that match.
When a player hits an unbeaten half-century, he typically secures his place in the playing XI for the next match. But Fazal has not got a chance in the Indian team since this game.
He has been consistently doing well for Vidarbha in domestic cricket, but hasn't broken into the Indian team since 2016.
#2 Bharath Reddy
Bharath Reddy, who made his ODI debut for India in 1978, was included in the Indian team as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He played three matches for India where he scored a total of 11 runs without being dismissed even once.
Reddy scored 8 not out against Australia in 1981 and 3 not out against New Zealand, after failing to get a chance to bat in his debut match against Pakistan in 1978. But despite never getting out, he only got a chance to play three ODIs for India.
#3 Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary played three ODIs for India in 2010. He debuted against Australia on 20 October of that year, where he scored 12 runs off 17 balls and remained unbeaten.
He then got a chance to play against New Zealand on 7 December 2010. In this match, he played a key role in the Indian team's victory with a knock of 37 not out off 39 balls.
Tiwary played against New Zealand again on 10 December, but he didn't get to bat. He scored 49 runs for India in a total of three matches at a strike rate of 87.50, and was never dismissed during this period.
But despite that, Tiwary was dropped from the team. He has never been on the selectors' radar since then.