5 unlucky Indian cricketers of the modern era

#5 Murali Kartik

The left-arm spinner was left waiting in the wings in the Indian circuit more often than not as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh held the fort of the spin department for a number of years. It was extremely difficult for any other spinner to enter the playing XI as the duo did so well for the team in all conditions.

Kartik played only 8 Tests, 37 ODIs and 1 T20I. He had a lovely action and the required attributes to be successful in international cricket. In any other era, he certainly would have had a handful of wickets at the end of his career. Although he didn’t have a great stint with the Indian side yet he was a very popular cricketer in the English county cricket where he represented Lancashire, Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey.

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India has had a rich vein of cricketing history for a number of years. After the Kapil Dev-led side won the World Cup in the year 1983, the sport just flourished in the country and there were thousands who took up the sport. One of them was Sachin Tendulkar who further went on to inspire several youngsters. The legacy has been kept intact till date by many talented cricketers. Amongst those, there have been a few who had an abundance of talent and the skills to represent the country at the big stage but somehow they missed out on becoming prominent members of the national side. In any sport, luck plays an important role and it didn't favor certain cricketers in the country.

Here are 5 such unlucky players of the modern era

#1 Robin Uthappa

Talk about unlucky cricketers and the first name that comes to mind is Robin Uthappa. The right-hander was very widely talked about as the next big thing in India's cricket when he first burst onto the scene. But somehow his prowess was limited to only domestic cricket as he could play only 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is. Uthappa has been a prolific run-getter for the Karnataka side in the Ranji Trophy. In the IPL as well, he is a prominent member of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for a number of years and has won several matches single-handedly for them. Despite a wonderful record, it's hard to figure out why he couldn't have a success story in the international arena.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

Karthik's lack of run in the national side can be attributed to the fact that he played in the MS Dhoni era where the doors to the Indian team were almost closed for the wicketkeepers. Karthik, just like other wicketkeepers in the country, had to wait for his chances and got an entry into the side only when Dhoni was rested. The Tamil Nadu batsman has a tremendous record in domestic cricket yet he has only 23 Tests, 72 ODIs and 9 T20Is to his credit. His stats in international cricket are far below par as compared to domestic games. The incessant chances didn't help his cause. There were a few occasions when he made it to the national side as a pure batsman with Dhoni being in the squad too. But somehow, he couldn't replicate the performances at the big stage.

#3 S Badrinath

One of the most prolific run-scorers in Ranji Trophy - Subramaniam Badrinath was deemed to be the future star for India in Test cricket. He had a solid technique for the longest format of the game and could have had a decent career if only he got more opportunities. He could feature in just 2 Tests, 7 ODIs and a solitary T20I. During his prime, the Indian side was flooded with batting stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Hence, it was close to impossible for Badrinath to break into the middle-order and so, the story of a technically correct batsman couldn't even start at the big stage.

#4 Manoj Tiwary

The Bengal batsman was another player who promised a lot with the kind of start he got in domestic cricket. He broke into the India ODI side in 2007 but due to an injury, was ruled out. Tiwary got a few more chances later but very seldom did he stand up to the occasions. The right-hander featured in 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is only. His career has been majorly hit by injuries and had to miss out on several crucial games. While he was a part of the Indian side, he was made to warm the benches as the team management preferred to play Rohit Sharma ahead of him. If only he had stayed fitter, he could have had a hugely successful career.

#5 Murali Kartik

The left-arm spinner was left waiting in the wings in the Indian circuit more often than not as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh held the fort of the spin department for a number of years. It was extremely difficult for any other spinner to enter the playing XI as the duo did so well for the team in all conditions. Kartik played only 8 Tests, 37 ODIs and 1 T20I. He had a lovely action and the required attributes to be successful in international cricket. In any other era, he certainly would have had a handful of wickets at the end of his career. Although he didn't have a great stint with the Indian side yet he was a very popular cricketer in the English county cricket where he represented Lancashire, Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey.