5 Indian cricketers who faded away after World Cup appearances
Ask any cricketer, Indian or overseas, as to what their ultimate dream is, and it's bound to be to hold the coveted World Cup in their hands. It's quite simply the biggest prize in the sport and every player sure wishes to lay their hands on it.
Take, for instance, a certain Sachin Tendulkar - having watched Kapil Dev's Indian team lift the 1983 World Cup, a 10-year old boy was filled with passion and desire to play for the country and win it himself. After a long wait that saw the 'Master Blaster' partake in six World Cup editions, his thirst was quenched in 2011.
The tournament has often coincided with the final curtain call of a number of cricketers as well. While some of them have ended in fairytale fashion, not everyone has had that luxury. Quite a few careers have also tapered off post the tournament and reached a point of stagnation.
On that note, we look at five Indian cricketers who faded away after World Cup appearances.
#5 Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil was one of the pivotal forces behind India's 1983 World Cup win. His blazing 32-ball unbeaten 51 saw India humble hosts England in the semi-finals, chasing down a target of 214.
An attacking batter by nature, Patil's ODI strike rate of 82.17 for the era in which he played points clearly towards someone who was well ahead of his time. However, consistency was never his best friend, meaning that sealing a permanent spot in the playing XI turned out to be a challenge.
Patil didn't feature in another World Cup with his last international appearance coming in 1986. He went on to coach both India and Kenya, apart from becoming the chairman of selectors of the Indian team from 2012 to 2016.
#4 Debasis Mohanty
The logo of the 1999 Cricket World Cup wore Debasis Mohanty's bowling action and the Odisha seamer happened to represent India in the tournament as well. Mohanty was a canny swing bowler who enjoyed decent success in ODIs, although he only played two Tests.
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Mohanty picked up a four-fer in the clash against Kenya that catapulted India to victory. Post the tournament, though, his form dipped and he was dropped altogether in 2001, when his final ODI appearance against Sri Lanka came by.
Mohanty went on to lead Odisha's bowling attack for years to come before eventually becoming their head coach. He is presently a part of the national selection committee for the Indian men's cricket team.
#3 Vinod Kambli
The Indian men's cricketer with the highest batting average in Tests, Vinod Kambli's international career got off to a rollicking start in early 1990s. He was a member of India's squad in all three World Cups played during that decade.
The infamous semi-final against Sri Lanka in 1996 left Kambli walking off in tears with the match being awarded to the Lankans after violence broke out in the stands. It also happened to mark Kambli's final World Cup game, having been benched throughout the next edition in 1999.
Kambli struggled to find consistency thereafter and though he played 104 ODIs, the last of those came in 2000, post which his career faded away as he fell out of favor with the selectors. He retired from all cricket in 2011.
#2 Ajit Agarkar
With 288 ODI scalps, Ajit Agarkar was one of India's most consistent forces with the ball for the better part of the 2000s. While he'll probably be remembered most for his match-winning spell in the Adelaide Test of 2003, it was with the white ball that Agarkar tasted maximum success.
The Mumbaikar was a member of the Indian squad across three ODI World Cup editions, beginning in 1999. The last of those appearances came during India's loss to Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, where they exited in the group stages. He was, however, a winning member of the inaugural World T20 that was played the same year.
Dropped midway through the tournament though for Joginder Sharma, it marked the last of Agarkar's international appearances. Although he faded away from the national setup, he went on to lead Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title in 2012-13. He remains a popular presence in the commentary box today, aside from being a part of the Delhi Capitals' coaching staff.
#1 Munaf Patel
Munaf Patel burst onto the scene as one of the fastest bowlers in the country before injuries took a toll on his pace.
Having made up for it with enough smarts and accuracy, though, Patel formed a key component of India's ODI setup leading into the 2011 World Cup.
Patel was arguably the biggest unsung hero of the successful Indian campaign at the 2011 World Cup, having delivered crucial spells that held up one end. Just when it seemed that his career was reaching a peak, however, frequent injuries meant that his form faded away before he was left out of the Indian setup.
While his last international appearance came in that very year, he also fell out of favor with IPL franchises before making a comeback in 2017 with the Gujarat Lions. He also turned out for Kandy Tuskers in the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League in 2020.
Also read: 5 times an Indian cricketer was left in tears on the field