7 players who made their T20I debuts for India in last 2 years but are yet to play a match in 2022
With India currently being one of the powerhouses in world cricket, every other cricket board has been trying to plan a series with the BCCI on their calendars.
The BCCI has increased the number of bilateral series and overseas tours in the last two years. Two Indian squads traveling to different nations and playing matches at the same time have become a common feature these days.
Last week, a team from India played against Leicestershire in a four-day practice game, while another squad was in Ireland, competing with the home team in a two-match T20I series.
With so many series being played of late, quite a few players have made their debuts for India in the last two years. But not all of them have been able to cement their places in the playing XI.
Interestingly, the following seven players received their maiden caps in 2020 or 2021 but did not feature in any of the 13 T20Is the Men in Blue have played this year.
#1 T Natarajan
T Natarajan received his maiden T20I cap against Australia in December 2020 and had a three-wicket haul on his debut. The left-arm fast bowler played an integral role in India's T20I series win.
Injury issues did not allow him to play regularly after that memorable series. He played only one T20I in 2021 and is yet to don the blue jersey this year.
#2 Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw started his T20I career last year against Sri Lanka. He was out for a duck on debut and did not play the other two games of the series due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
Despite his good performances for the Delhi Capitals in IPL matches, Shaw is yet to play another T20I match for the Men in Blue.
#3 Varun Chakravarthy
It is rare to see a player getting picked for a World Cup one year and then not even finding a place in the 'B' squad of the team next year. But such has been the story of Varun Chakravarthy's T20I career.
He debuted against Sri Lanka and went on to play in the T20 World Cup in 2021. The mystery spinner played six matches, scalping two wickets for the team.
#4 Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal had two fantastic IPL seasons with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, leading to his international debut against Sri Lanka last year. However, the left-handed batter could not cement his place in the team.
Padikkal played two T20Is, aggregating 38 runs at an average of 19. Despite having a decent IPL with the Rajasthan Royals this year, he was not called back into the Indian squad.
#5 Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana has been one of the best performers for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL matches. The left-handed batter made his international debut in the series against Sri Lanka in 2021.
However, like Padikkal, he could not replicate his IPL brilliance. Rana scored 15 runs in two matches at an average of 7.5 and was subsequently dropped.
#6 Chetan Sakariya
Fast bowler Chetan Sakariya played a couple of T20Is against Sri Lanka in July 2021, picking up one wicket. Sakariya was one of the lead pacers for the Rajasthan Royals in 2021, but he moved to the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022.
The franchise benched him for the majority of the matches. Although Sakariya did well in the games he played, the chances of him making a comeback to international cricket this year are low.
#7 Sandeep Warrier
Sandeep Warrier received his maiden T20I cap in Sri Lanka last year and remained wicketless on debut. He was a net bowler for that tour but got a chance to play because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian team.
While Warrier is one of the top Indian bowlers in domestic cricket, he surprisingly went unsold at the IPL Auction this year. He will be keen to work hard and revive his career in the IPL and international cricket.