5 Indian cricketers who played just one T20I
Every cricketer in India who plays the game professionally does so with the goal and hope of representing the Men in Blue.
A player's debut game is extremely special for them, as it is the culmination of all the efforts that have been put in over the years. It is also the beginning of a new journey, one that every player wishes lasts for as long as possible.
Unfortunately for some players, they were unable to add to their debut cap. Here, we look at the players who represented India in only a solitary T20I:
#1 Parvez Rasool
Parvez Rasool was the first ever player from Jammu and Kashmir to don the Indian colors. An off-spinning all-rounder by trade, Rasool came into the national reckoning on the back of some impressive performances in the domestic arena and the IPL.
Consistent performances earned him a place in the Indian setup as he made his T20I debut against England in Kanpur in 2017. He had a decent outing as he returned figures of 1-32 from his four overs. He accounted for the wicket of former World Cup-winning England captain Eoin Morgan.
But that was that for Rasool as he never featured in another T20I for the Indian team. Rasool has not found any takers in the IPL Auction in recent times, but continues to ply his trade for Jammu and Kashmir in domestic cricket.
#2 Sreenath Aravind
Sreenath Aravind, a tall left-arm medium-pace bowler, has also played in just one T20I. Aravind has been around the circuit for quite some time and grabbed eyeballs after a good season for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 edition of the Indian Premier League.
He was selected in India’s squad for a home series against England in 2011 but had to wait four more years to earn his maiden cap. His debut finally came against the Proteas in 2015, but he failed to impress as he was expensive in the game. He did pick up a wicket, that of the opposition’s captain, Faf Du Plessis, but Aravind never got to don the national colors again.
Aravind was a crucial part of Karnataka’s success in domestic cricket and was a key bowler for the side for quite some time. He hung up his boots from first-class and one-day cricket in 2018 to make way for upcoming players.
#3 Sudeep Tyagi
Sudeep Tyagi, the tall and quick bowler who played for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, also has just one T20I cap to his credit. Tyagi’s name started doing the rounds after his good performances in the Ranji Trophy back in 2007-08.
He did well for CSK in the 2009 edition of the IPL, which was held in South Africa. He was a consistent performer as far as domestic cricket was concerned, contributing to a Challenger Trophy win as well.
He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka the same year and got to bowl just two overs in which he conceded 21 runs. After that, he never got to play T20s for the country again.
Tyagi announced his retirement from all forms of the game in 2020, having also represented the country in four ODIs apart from a solitary T20I appearance.
4. Mayank Markande
Mayank Markande, a leg-spinner from Punjab, came into the reckoning right after a successful IPL season for the Mumbai Indians in 2018. MS Dhoni was Markande’s first victim in the tournament and from there on, he had a brilliant season, also holding the Purple Cap for a substantial period of time.
After the IPL, he did well for the A side and was subsequently selected for the national team for a series against Australia. He made his debut soon after and returned figures of 0-31 from his four overs. However, he never got to play another game for the country and was even released by the Mumbai Indians after the 2019 season.
Mayank Markande all set to make his T20I debut for #TeamIndia 😎😎
#AUSvIND https://t.co/Ogv0V1iHzO
In 2022, Markande was picked by MI yet again and featured in quite a few games for the franchise. With age on his side, Markande has a good chance to take his name out of this list.
5. Pawan Negi
Pawan Negi got instant recognition after he was picked for Rs. 8.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils in the 2016 IPL Auction. However, the pressure of the price tag came to haunt him as he had a poor season that year. The following year, he had a far better tournament, representing Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He got a maiden call up for the 2016 Asia Cup, during which he made his debut against minnows United Arab Emirates. He had a good outing, picking up one wicket while also being economical but as luck would have it, that was his first and last game in the blue jersey.
Big day for @iampawannegi. He is all set to make his T20I debut for India against UAE #AsiaCup https://t.co/pzdtNXxb2P
In 2022, Negi was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders but did not get a game. Like Markande, Negi also has age on his side and would be looking to add to his solitary T20I cap.