5 promising Indian cricketers whose career faded away
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a long and successful international career. A combination of factors can decide if a player plays for a long time or not and especially for a country like India, when there is always someone waiting around the corner, poor form can lead to a short career.
While there have been a few players like Amol Muzumdar, who were unlucky to not get a chance despite impressive track records in the domestic circuit, there have been others who have got a chance and after a promising start to their career simply faded away due to a variety of reasons.
Here are 5 promising Indian cricketers whose career faded away:
Irfan Pathan
India's search for an all-rounder who could adequately fill the void left by Kapil Dev remained unfulfilled until Irfan Pathan popped up. Capable of swinging the ball and scoring at a rapid pace anywhere in the batting order, he seemed like the perfect answer.
However, despite a hat-trick to his name, Man of the Match performances in Australia and in the 2007 World T20 final that India won, Irfan Pathan has never quite managed to recapture his form that saw him touted as someone who could go onto to become of the best all-rounders in the game.
Although he has over 300 wickets and nearly 3,000 runs across all formats for India, Pathan's career is one that promised so much but faded away. Despite his 100 Test scalps, his last match in the format was in 2008 and he hasn't played a game for India since 2012. Although he is only 32 and still impressing in the domestic circuit for Baroda, who he also captains, his inability to develop into one of India's finest makes him a player who never fulfilled his potential.