3 Indian bowlers who had an abrupt end to their ODI career

Modified Jul 25, 2019 01:57 IST

The Indian team is renowned for manufacturing run-machines, and the Indian batting line-up has been the strongest in the world in the last couple of decades. Bowling has never been India's strength, especially when playing outside the sub-continent, but that has begun to change.

In recent times, Indian pace bowlers have proved their prowess in the limited overs format of the game. India's death overs bowler specialist Jasprit Bumrah is the top ranked bowler in one-day internationals right now. And the two young Indian wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are at the 11th and 16th positions respectively.

Playing on flat Indian pitches makes it tough for the bowlers to have an impact on the game, but there have been some who have stood out with their incredible skills. Here are three Indian bowlers who emerged as superstars in the initial part of their career but eventually saw an abrupt end to their career.

#3 Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar became an immediate superstar for India when he bagged 10 wickets in 4 matches during the CB series in Australia in the year 2008. Kumar earned the Man of the Match award in the final game of the tournament for his phenomenal performance, ensuring an emphatic Indian win over the Aussies.

He had the ability to swing the ball on the flattest of pitches and thus he was Team India's first choice bowler with the new ball. Kumar soon replicated his strong international performances in the IPL, picking up a hat-trick in the 2010 edition of the tournament for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He became a regular feature in the Indian limited-overs side and played 68 ODIs for India, which yielded him 77 scalps.

The Meerut-born bowler was dropped from the Indian team after a string of poor performances in the 2012 edition of Asia Cup, and could never make it to the Indian team again.

#2 Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel shot into prominence when he picked up seven wickets in his debut Test match against England in Mohali in the year 2006. He soon established himself in the Indian limited-overs side and became a vital asset for the team.

Patel was renowned for his raw pace when he first arrived on the international stage. Regularly clocking over 85 mph on the speed gun, he was quite a handful for batsmen in those early days. Unfortunately for him though, he was soon plagued by serious injuries and that caused his pace to drop considerably.

The stalwart continued his decent performances with the ball, and played a critical role in the 2011 edition of the Cricket World Cup. He represented India in 70 ODI matches and grabbed 86 wickets during his 5-years-long international career.

Patel was dropped from the Indian side after India's horrible tour of England in 2011 and was never reconsidered for selection.

#1 Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan came into the Indian side in the year 2003 on the back of a few outstanding performances in the Ranji Trophy. He impressed everyone with his ability to swing the new ball both ways and at a decent pace, which made him unplayable at times.

Pathan grabbed a hat-trick in the first over of the 2006 Test match against arch-rivals Pakistan and became an overnight sensation. He played an important role in the 2007 edition of the T20 World Cup and was the Man of the Match for his three-wicket haul in the final of the tournament.

Pathan's one-day form dipped considerably after that and he failed to cement his place in the star studded Indian side. He played his last ODI for India in the year 2012 against Sri Lanka; despite picking a five-wicket haul in the game, he could never find a place in the Indian side again.

The southpaw bagged 173 wickets in the 120 ODI matches he played for India.