5 promising Indian cricketers who had an unceremonious end to their career

Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. It isn't a garden where you reap what you sow. Such has been the case of some talented cricketers. They did all that is required to play longer than what they did but other possibilities prevailed over their consistency and hard work.

Here is a look at some promising cricketers whose stint at the international level did not do justice to their talent.

#1 Vinod Kambli

An extremely gifted and talented batsman – Vinod Kambli was well-known for his flashy stroke play and his on-field flamboyance. Kambli kicked off his short-lived test career with two double hundreds and two hundreds in his first seven Test matches. He announced himself to the world of international cricket with his fearless approach.

Earlier, Kambli began his Ranji Trophy career with a six off the first ball he faced and later caned Shane Warne for 22 runs in a single over while chasing in a semi-final game of Austral-Asia cup in Sharjah in 1994. He is the fastest Indian ever to 1000 Test runs as he reached the milestone in just 14 innings.

Sadly, Kambli wasn't considered for the selections after scoring consistent runs at international as well as at the first-class level. He played his last Test match at the age of 23 and his Test career ended with 1084 runs at an average of 54.20.

Kambli had a relatively longer One Day International career as he played over 100 ODIs and was a regular middle-order batsman in the side until his performance declined in 1996. He was later given chances but the pressure took its toll on him and he was never able to cement his place into the side.

Kambli's ODI career ended in 2000 with 2477 runs at an average of 32.59. His career soon started fading away while dark whiskers spoke of his lack of temperament (on and off the field), his addiction to alcohol, and his bad relationship with the teammates.