3 Indian origin cricketers who played for other nations and performed well against Team India
It is the dream of almost every Indian to play for Team India at the international level. However, not everyone can fulfill that dream. To earn a place in Team India, an individual needs to have skills and patience.
Over the years, some of the greatest players in the game's history have represented Team India globally. Cricket has become so popular in India that there are thousands of players in the country.
Some of them prefer to continue working hard and receive a spot in Team India. Some players move to other nations to play international cricket, whereas there are also a few Indian origin players whose families moved overseas. So they represented other countries.
Interestingly though, some of the Indian origin players have troubled Team India a lot in international cricket. In this listicle today, we will look at three such names.
#1 Ajaz Patel, New Zealand
Ajaz Patel became the first New Zealand player and overall third to take a ten-wicket haul in a single innings of a Test match. The left-arm spinner accomplished the feat against Team India at the Wankhede Stadium earlier today.
He opened his account by picking up Shubman Gill's wicket, and later in the innings, he dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mayank Agarwal, Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Siraj to complete his ten-wicket haul.
Patel returned with figures of 10/119 as New Zealand bowled the home side out for 325 runs in the first innings. Fans should note that Patel played the match at his homeground because he was born in Mumbai.
#2 Ish Sodhi, New Zealand
Another India-born spinner who plays for New Zealand is Ish Sodhi. The right-arm leg-spinner was born in Ludhiana, but he represents the Blackcaps at the international level.
Team India failed to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semifinals, and Ish Sodhi was one of the main reasons behind their early exit. The match between India and New Zealand was a virtual eliminator.
Sodhi bowled a magnificent spell of 2/17 in his four overs. He picked up crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to ensure the Kiwis won against India. The leg-spinner bowled a match-winning spell against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup as well.
#3 Monty Panesar, England
Team India have lost only one home Test series in the last decade. That defeat came against England in 2012-13. Monty Panesar's spells played a huge role in England's historic victory.
The Indian-origin left-arm spinner scalped 17 wickets in the 4-match series, including two five-wicket hauls to power England to a 2-1 series win. Panesar did not play the first Test in Ahmedabad, but he took 11 wickets in the Mumbai Test and followed it up with five more wickets in Kolkata.
England emerged victorious in Kolkata and Mumbai because of Panesar's bowling. The left-arm spinner has now retired from all forms of cricket.