Five greatest international players from Uttar Pradesh

#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The one who handed Tendulkar his first duck in domestic cricket

Bhuvneshwar is currently the spearhead of India's bowling attack

While many gasped, Bhuvneshwar Kumar readied himself for a delivery that would instantly catch the nation’s attention. At an age when each cricketer is looking for the perfect opportunity to stake his claim, 19-year-old Bhuvneshwar all but guaranteed himself a first international cap by dismissing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar for zero, his first duck in domestic cricket.

Like Praveen Kumar, Bhuvneshwar too hails from the small town of Meerut and yearned for a place in the Indian squad, with his 130kmph swinging deliveries often causing problems for right-handers. In his T20 debut against Pakistan, he bowled Nasir Jamshed and in his very first ODI ball, cleaned up Mohammad Hafeez.

Showing promise and delivering on it are, however, two different things. On the tour to England in 2014, as the team around him collapsed, Bhuvi stood out with his swing and control accounting for 19 wickets at an average of 26.63, making him the Indian Man of the Series in that series.

He always takes part in the race for the Purple Cap in the IPL, which only reflects his potential to unnerve even the most experienced of players on pitches that offer little or no assistance. Along with Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowling attack offers promise and here is hoping that he can add to his 131 international wickets that have been accumulated in 104 international matches.

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Whilst Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, RP Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar, alongside Piyush Chawla, Sudeep Tyagi and Kuldeep Yadav, belong to Uttar Pradesh and represented them in various tournaments, a few legends chose to shift base to the state.

The honourable Syed Mushtaq Ali was originally from Holkar but donned the jersey for Uttar Pradesh in 1956-57.

Lala Amarnath, the first captain of Independent India, originally from Punjab, too turned out for the state in 1954-55.

Vijay Manjrekar, father of Sanjay Manjrekar represented six sides in the Ranji Trophy - Bombay, Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra. He represented Uttar Pradesh in the 1957-58 season.

C.K. Nayudu needs no introduction in Indian cricket circles. The first captain of the Indian cricket team in Test matches had a prolific first-class career, playing for various teams till he was 68! Along with his brother C.S Nayudu, he wore the Uttar Pradesh jersey in the year 1956-57.

With a long haul of successful cricketers, Uttar Pradesh’s contribution to the rise of Indian cricket remains unmatched.