5 Indian cricketers who played 10 or more ODIs but retired without playing a Test match
The competition level among the Indian cricketers for a place in the playing XI is sky high right now. Thanks to the abundance of talent in the country, the BCCI selection committee has a back-up option available for almost every position in the team.
Since the Indian team plays non-stop cricket across formats, some players tend to specialize in only one format of the game.
The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have only played in the Test format over the last few years, while Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan have not played too many red-ball matches.
This trend was visible in the last two decades as well.
On that note, here's a look at five Indian cricketers who played 10 or more ODIs for the nation but never got a chance to play Test cricket.
#1 Yusuf Pathan
Regarded by many as one of the most explosive Indian cricketers, Yusuf Pathan was a regular fixture in the Indian white-ball squads during the late 2000s and early 2010s. He won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with the Indian team.
Overall, Pathan played 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is for the Men in Blue, scoring over 1,000 runs. Despite having a decent record in first-class cricket, Yusuf never received an Indian Test cap in his career.
#2 Ashok Dinda
Former Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda played 116 first-class matches in his career, scalping over 400 wickets. He appeared in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is for India but never made it to the Test playing XI.
Dinda called it a day on his career after the 2020/21 domestic season and has now joined politics.
#3 Venugopal Rao
Venugopal Rao played 16 ODIs for India in 2005 and 2006. He scored 218 runs for the Men in Blue, with his highest score being 61*.
Rao was a middle-order batter and a part-time spin bowler. He has played 121 first-class matches in his domestic career, scoring 7,081 runs and scalping 88 wickets. However, he never made his Test debut.
#4 Rohan Gavaskar
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar's son Rohan Gavaskar made his ODI debut against Australia in 2004. He played 11 ODIs for the country that year, scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 64.52.
Although Rohan scored heaps of runs in first-class matches, he never got a place in the Indian Test team.
#5 Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia was one of the 11 Indian cricketers in the nation's first-ever T20I playing XI against South Africa. He top-scored for the team with a 45-ball 38 while batting at number three.
Mongia also played 57 ODIs for the Men in Blue. However, he is one of the unlucky Indian cricketers to have never played Test cricket despite playing in so many limited-overs matches at the international level.