5 All-rounders tried before Hardik Pandya 

#2. Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan

Long back, it seemed the younger of Pathan brothers was destined for greatness. But injuries, drastic loss of form, pace and most importantly the prodigious swing, cut short his international career.

Early into his career, he showcased banana swing in the memorable hat-trick against Pakistan. He was an excellent batsman too; his 46 against the Aussies on the bouncy surface of WACA helped India win the third Test of 2007-08 series. With the passage of time, he became more of a batsman than a bowler and eventually faded away while struggling to perform in either department. He was not an all-rounder in the mould of Shane Watson, but rather someone like Tim Brennan or David Willey of England, who himself is no mug with the bat as recently witnessed in the second ODI where he smashed a half century lower down the order.

It is really sad to see the way Pathan disappeared from the International scene. He had a decent start to his career and was touted to be India's next top all-rounder. He even won the Emerging Player of the Year award in 2004 by ICC. He made comebacks without much success.