Top 10 cricketers with short-lived careers in the international arena
Cricketers always aim to have long careers at the international level. It is the dream of every budding cricketer to make their country proud with their performances in the global arena.
Initially, cricketers need to perform well in the domestic tournaments. If they earn the selectors' attention, they can earn a place in the national team. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad, Sanath Jayasuriya, Imran Khan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul represented their nations at the international level for more than two decades.
However, not all cricketers are successful in having long careers like the names mentioned above. Some cricketers fade away soon after making their debut. In this article, we will look at the top ten cricketers with short-lived careers in the international arena.
1. One of the most successful cricketers in Tamil Nadu's domestic cricket history: Subramaniam Badrinath
Subramaniam Badrinath was a right-handed batsman who usually batted in the middle order. Badrinath played 145 first-class matches in his career, aggregating 10,245 runs at an average of 54.49. Courtesy of his brilliant performances in the domestic arena, Badrinath received a call-up to the Indian team.
However, Badrinath could only play two Tests, seven ODIs and one T20I. He won the Man of the Match award in his only T20I, but his performances in ODIs and Tests were not up to the mark. As a result, he could not have a long career.
2. Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta made his international debut in October 2001 and played his last international game in April 2002. In the brief period, he represented India in eight Tests and four ODIs.
The wicket-keeper batsman had decent numbers in domestic cricket, but Dasgupta scored only 51 runs in five ODIs. He performed much better in Test cricket. However, his inconsistency led to his exit from the team.
3. Naman Ojha
Naman Ojha was a talented wicket-keeper batsman. However, he competed with the likes of MS Dhoni for a spot in the Indian team. Since only one wicket-keeper can feature in a playing XI, Ojha could play only four international matches for India.
Ojha failed to impress in the limited opportunities he got. He scored 56 runs in two Test innings, a solitary run in his only ODI and 12 runs in two T20I games. The wicket-keeper batsman retired earlier this year.
4. Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has become a popular cricket commentator now. But he also played international cricket for India in 2003 and 2004. Chopra managed to play ten Tests for the country.
While he had superb numbers in domestic cricket, Chopra could never make it big in the global arena. He aggregated 437 Test runs, with his highest score being 60.
5. Graham Manou
Graham Manou is another wicket-keeper to appear on this list. Like most cricketers on this list, Manou performed consistently in the domestic arena. However, when he got a chance at the international level, he could not impress much.
Manou's international career lasted only one Test and four ODIs. His first and last appearances in the international arena came in the same year (2009). Manou scored 28 runs in his five international appearances for Australia.