The gap between domestic and international cricket is a huge one for any cricketer to fill. While there are a few who seamlessly take the leap towards international cricket, there are plenty of cricketers who fall off the radar. They are often found out in the 2nd season and find it very difficult to make a comeback into the national team.
We at StumpsandBails will be looking at 5 such cricketers who faded away after making a great start
#5 Haseeb Hameed
Haseeb Hameed was all of 19 when he made his England Test debut against India in India. The opener displayed tremendous grit and character while facing up to the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on their home turf. But unfortunately, after playing the first 3 Tests, he was sidelined from the series owing to an injury. Hameed could never force his way back into the side since then. His is a classic case of a false dawn.
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#4 Joginder Sharma
Joginder Sharma became the toast of the nation when he bowled the World Cup-winning ball to Misbah-ul-Haq in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. It was his crowning cricket glory. But he couldn’t force his way into the Indian squad post this success. He always remained in the sides and eventually retired from active cricket in 2017.
#3 Steve O’Keefe
Steve O’Keefe was an unknown entity when he arrived in India along with Nathan Lyon to disrupt team India’s home record in Tests. He pulled 6-35 in both the innings at Pune to help Australia win the Pune Test by 333 runs. But the Indian team figured him out quickly and he couldn’t have the same impact in the rest of the series. O’Keefe was ineffective against Bangladesh too and was dropped from the squad. He couldn’t force his way back since then.
#2 Jayant Yadav
Jayant Yadav was a consistent performer for India-A. He was drafted into the Indian team during their long home summer of 2016-17. Yadav picked up 4 wickets in each of his first two Tests while he went to score a century against England at Mumbai. But Yadav had a disappointing game against Australia in Pune and he was dropped from the squad thereon. Yadav plies his trade for Haryana and is a seasoned performer too, but he hasn’t been able to make a comeback to the side.
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#1 Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli stormed world cricket by notching up successive double centuries on Test debut. He was touted as the next big thing but he failed to cement his position in the Indian team. Kambli became infamously famous for his drunken bouts, his indiscipline, and temperamental issues. He last played for India in 2000 and that was the sad ending to a highly colourful chapter of Vinod Kambli.
