Indian cricket lacked a world-class keeper-batsman before Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived on the international scene. He took the country by storm. Dhoni had a celebrated international career lasting 15 years. He played 4 ODI world cups and led India in 6 T20 world cups. Dhoni won everything under the sun be it the T20 World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011, and Champions Trophy 2013. He surely had a glittering international career. let’s discuss Indian Players Who Debuted Before MS Dhoni But still not Retired.
His peers who debuted before him were relegated to the background. There were a few players who lost a bit of sheen during Dhoni’s reign. Despite Dhoni calling it quits, there are few Indian cricketers who are yet to retire from the game.
Indian Players Who Debuted Before MS Dhoni But still not Retired
#3 Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra has been in the cricketing circle for ages. He made his India debut in 2003. Since then, Mishra has been part of the team intermittently. He represented India in 22 Tests picking 76 wickets. Mishra had a terrific ODI record. He played 36 ODI’s picking 64 wickets at an average of 23.6. But captains never really trusted Mishra and his ability. He has been toiling away in domestic cricket hopeful of an Indian comeback. But the dream seems too far-fetched for now.
#2 Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh was the best finger-spinner of his time. He was part of India’s twin World Cup wins (T20 World Cup 2007 and ODI World Cup 2011). Singh rose into prominence in 2001 with a career-defining performance against Australia. He scalped 32 wickets in 3 games helping India win the series 2-1. But post the 2011 World Cup, his performances started to wane.
He lost his place from the team to Ravichandran Ashwin. Singh has 417 Test wickets to his name. But he hasn’t announced his retirement yet. He is still hopeful of an India comeback. He was banking on IPL 2021 to present his case but the indefinite postponement must have hurt his chances.
#1 Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik generated a lot of buzz in the U-19 World Cup in 2004. He soon made his India debut in both the ODI’s and Tests. But soon Dhoni leapfrogged Karthik and he had to wait eternally to don the gloves back for India. Karthik however was part of India’s limited-overs squad that won the T20 World Cup, 2007, and Champions Trophy, 2013. It is quite strange to know that Karthik’s T20 numbers were even better than MS Dhoni. But Dhoni’s gargantuan presence often denied Karthik a place in the squad. Karthik is still hoping to make a comeback to the Indian team for the T20s. He might call it a day post the T20 World Cup.
Also read: 5 Fastest Batsmen To Score 1000 ODI Runs
