India's playing 11 from Faiz Fazal's only international match - where are they now?
Faiz Fazal, one of the most prominent figures of Vidarbha cricket, announced his retirement from competitive cricket following Vidarbha's Ranji Trophy clash against Haryana. The veteran opening batter finished as Vidarbha's leading run-getter in both first-class and List-A matches.
Under his leadership, Vidarbha won their first Ranji Trophy campaign in 2017/18 and backed it up by defending their title the next season. Despite being a prolific run scorer in the domestic circuit, Fazal could only play a solitary match for India in the ODI format.
He made his debut against Zimbabwe in the third ODI in Harare and scored an impressive half-century. However, with first-choice players returning for the next assignments, Fazal could never break into the Indian team again. He sounded emotional in a heartfelt note shared on his Instagram handle.
"Tomorrow marks the end of an era as I step onto the Nagpur ground for the last time, where my journey in first-class cricket began 21 incredible years ago," Fazal wrote on his Instagram handle on Sunday (February 18).
"It's been an unforgettable ride, filled with cherished memories that I'll hold dear forever. Representing both the Indian Cricket Team and Vidarbha has been the greatest honor of my life, and donning those cricket jerseys has always filled me with immense pride."
Now, let us have a look at India's playing XI from Faiz Fazal's only international game and where are they now:
Openers- KL Rahul and Faiz Fazal
India's premier keeper batter KL Rahul has established himself as one of the integral members of the Indian set-up across formats. Rahul scored an unbeaten 63 off 70 balls in Fazal's only match for India. He is currently part of the Indian contingent fighting it out in the five-match Test series against England.
Rahul missed out on the 2nd and the 3rd Tests due to a quadriceps injury but is expected to be fit for the 4th Test in Ranchi starting February 23. Fazal, meanwhile, recently announced his retirement from professional cricket after a successful first-class career. The presence of some top-class players prevented Fazal from playing further for India.
Batters- Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni
Manish Pandey didn't get a chance to bat in the match as a wonderful partnership between the openers ensured a 10-wicket win for India. Pandey will always be remembered as India's first IPL centurion.
Pandey went on to establish himself as a regular feature in the Indian white-ball teams. However, lack of form resulted in his ouster from the team. Pandey will be seen playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Ambati Rayudu, another IPL legend, retired from professional cricket following CSK's triumphant campaign in 2023. Rayudu recently became the first Indian player to take part in the ILT20. He also plied his trade for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
Kedar Jadhav had registered his name for the IPL 2024 auctions at a base price of Rs 2 crore but did not find any buyers. Kedar is currently an active player for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy. He last played for India back in 2020 and is in the twilight of his professional career.
One of the greatest limited-overs captains to have graced the game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni continues to be an active IPL player. He announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. It will be interesting to see whether IPL 2024 will be his final season as a CSK skipper.
Bowlers- Axar Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Yuzvendra Chahal
Axar Patel, another member from Faiz Fazal's only international match, has gone on to establish himself as one of the sought-after cricketers going around. He is one of those all-format players for India who is currently part of the Indian team fighting it out in a five-match Test series against Axar.
He was left out of the 3rd Test but could make an impact in the final two encounters. Dhawal Kulkarni is all set to retire from professional cricket after playing the ongoing Ranji Trophy. The last match for Mumbai in the season will be his final Ranji game. Kulkarni played 12 ODIs for India, bagging 19 wickets in the process.
Jasprit Bumrah's rise in international cricket has been nothing short of phenomenal. He is regarded as arguably the greatest all-format bowler of the modern generation. Bumrah is part of the Indian squad for the Test series against England and has played an integral part in India taking a 2-1 lead after three matches.
Left-arm pacer Barinder Sran came into the reckoning with consistent performances in the domestic circuit. However, after playing 6 ODIs and 2 T20Is for India in 2016 without making much of an impact, Sran fell off the pecking order and never managed to play for India again. He played for the Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the final name in the playing XI when Faiz Fazal played his only international game. Chahal established himself as India's first-choice bowler in the white ball formats.
He has so far played 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is for India, bagging 121 and 96 wickets respectively. However, Chahal has fallen off the pecking order and didn't feature in India's World Cup team of 2023, but would be hopeful of making it to the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.