Players who made their debut prior to 2003 & are still active cricketers
There is always a gap between the good and the best. The good fades away after a scintillating start while the best weathers every storm to make a name for themselves. Some cricketers are gifted enough to play long while many of them have to go through hard grinds over the course of their career.
Some cricketers commence their journey and after a certain period of time, it seems that they have been playing forever. It’s the class and charisma of the individuals that architect International journeys of their own kinds. Their expedition adds to the motivation of budding cricketers.
Considering the rigours of International cricket, the players are never in a comfort zone. It only needs a period of lean patch to plant doubts about their ability to run parallel with the elasticities of the sport. Therefore, playing for a national team is worth a grand salute.
Some players are regular features of the team while some of them had to go through several comebacks over the span of their career. The following is a list of cricketers making their debut in and around 2003 who are still chancing their luck in the national side.
Ashish Nehra
Marred by injuries, Ashish Nehra’s stint with the Indian team never blossomed. Nevertheless, teams got a fair taste of him in International cricket. Even after criticisms surrounding his inconsistent performances, Nehra refused to surrender to the noise.
Nehra was far from being curbed. He worked day in and day out on his bowling and fitness. At the age of 36, he turned out to be one of the fittest players present in the field for the Chennai Super Kings. It triggered a comeback and steered him in the Indian team for the ICC World T20 on his home turf.
At 37, he may not be in contention for a comeback, but he has always been a threat to the oppositions as England got a taste of his medicine in the 2003 World Cup. It’s hard to imagine that a player of such caliber has played a handful of matches for his country over a career spanning 17 years and more.
Career Span: February 1999- Present (17 years and 9 months)
Tests: 17
ODI’s: 120
T20I’s: 23