5 Indian Spin Prodigies who failed to fulfil their potential

There is nothing more heart-wrenching in cricket than the sight of a spectacular talent gone to waste. Here’s a list of five extremely promising spinners who failed to live up to the massive expectations heaped on them:

Rahul Sharma in action for India against Australia in 2012

Rahul Sharma

Known for his ability to extract extra bounce from the wicket, this 28-year old leggie from Jalandhar was touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but it has all been downhill for him after he was detained by Mumbai police from a rave party in Juhu back in 2012. Rahul Sharma has played a total of 22 first class matches for Punjab where he has picked 42 wickets at an economy of 3.43 with one 4w and one 5w haul to his name.

Sharma was soon rewarded for some disciplined bowling in the domestic circuit as he was roped in by the Deccan Chargers for the third season of IPL. However, he failed to make an impression there as he only played a total of 6 matches in which he took 5 wickets conceding 167 runs with best bowling figures of 2/42 and an economy of a tad over 8.

His moment of reckoning came when Pune Warriors picked him up in the auctions of the fourth season of IPL. He played 11 games for them during which he had 14 wickets to his name conceding 215 runs with best bowling figures of 3/13 and an impressive economy of 5.24. His figures of 4-0-7-2 against Mumbai Indians that year were the most economical by any bowler in that season of the tournament and ensured that next time the Indian selectors pondered over their options in the leg spin department, his name was right on top of that list.

Riding on the back of some stellar performances in the IPL, Rahul Sharma earned his place in the Indian ODI squad for the home series against England but did not get a game. However, he made his debut in the fourth ODI against West Indies in Indore in December 2011 and returned impressive match figures of 3/43. In early 2012, he played his debut T20 match against Australia at Sydney where he picked just one wicket.

In his relatively short international career so far, Rahul Sharma has played 4 ODIs and 2 T20 internationals for India. He was a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 8. With a career already embroiled in controversy, one can only hope that this leg spinner from Punjab does justice to his talent instead of fading into oblivion like some of his other contemporaries. And with age by his side, maybe, he still has an outside chance; but for now, things don’t look too bright for him.

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Maninder Singh

Maninder Singh

Known to be the youngest Indian to make his Test debut at the age of 17 years, 193 days before Sachin Tendulkar overtook him, for a brief period during the 1980s, Maninder Singh was flaunted as the next spin prodigy from India; an heir-apparent to Bishan Singh Bedi. This loopy left arm spinner from Maharashtra had the guile of a bowler who could rip the ball on surfaces that had any sort of turn on offer.

However, in his 11-year long international career, Maninder Singh’s tally of 88 wickets at an economy of 2.40 from the 35 Tests and two five-fors and two 10-fors is far outweighed by his excellent first class numbers – 145 matches, 606 wickets, an economy of 2.39 and 46 five-fors and 14 10-fors to show for his efforts. Quite clearly, he was unable to emulate his first class performances in Test cricket.

On the other hand, his performance in the shorter version of the game seemed to be better compared to his Test numbers. In the 59 ODIs that he played for India, he took a total of 66 wickets at an economy rate of a tad below four, with best bowling figures of 4/22.

Between June 1986 and March 1987, Maninder Singh had hit a purple patch in Tests as he went on to take 55 wickets in the 13 matches that he played at an average of 23.56 with three five-fors and two 10-fors to his name. But post that, there was a dip in his form as he could get only a further 11 scalps against his name at an average of 65.45 from 7 matches.

With form deserting him, he soon lost his place in the side and despite two abortive comebacks in the early 1990s which saw him play his last Test match against Zimbabwe at Delhi and his last ODI against England at Gwalior, he soon retired from active cricket at the age of 27 and has since been an epitome of unfulfilled promise and talent.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

A lanky leg-spinner from Chennai, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan played his last Test match for India at the young age of 20.

An impressive 7 for 28 on his Ranji trophy debut against Delhi in 1981-82 brought him national eminence and he soon played his debut Test match for India against West Indies at St. John’s on April 28, 1983. However, he failed to leave an impression on his maiden outing; he returned to national reckoning again when he helped India win a Test match against England in Mumbai in 1984 by picking six wickets in each innings. Yet another six-for in the next test ensured that he was adjudged the Man of the Series.

He backed his good performance in Test cricket with an equally good show during the World Championship of Cricket later that season in Australia where he played an instrumental role in India’s triumph in the final with bowling figures of 3/35 from 10 overs.

But he soon lost his touch after that, to the point where he was reduced to fighting for a place in his Ranji side – the same side that escalated him to towering heights of success earlier in his career. When he was done playing for India, he had played a total of nine Tests during which he took 26 wickets at an economy of a tad under three. His tally of 15 wickets at an economy of 4.26 from the 16 ODIs that he played did very little justice to his amazing talent. As his career faded into obscurity, he too has become a glaring example of a bright talent gone astray.

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Piyush Chawla in action for India during a 2011 World Cup warm-up match

Piyush Chawla

Another prime example of talent going to waste, this leggie from Uttar Pradesh has barely managed to live up to the expectations of his fans. Since making his Test debut against England in 2006, Chawla has so far featured in only three Tests, 25 ODIs and a total of seven T20 internationals. His selection in the Indian side is often greeted with raised eye-brows, critics always calling it a ‘surprise’ move by the selectors.

Chawla, in the three Tests that he has played so far, has picked 7 wickets at an economy of 3.29. His performance in the ODIs hasn’t been that great either with a tally of 32 wickets at an economy of tad over 5 from 25 games. He has picked 4 wickets at an economy of 6.56 from 7 matches.

Piyush Chawla was a more regular member of the limited overs squad than the Test side where he often lost his place to more conventional spinners like Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha. But after a mediocre outing during the Asia Cup in 2008 where he played just one game, leaking 53 runs in 8 overs with only one wicket against his name, he was dropped from the side. Ever since, he has been in and out of the Indian squad with his more recent and last appearance being during the 2011 World Cup.

With competition increasing in the spin department, it looks like only a string of excellent outings in the domestic circuit can help Chawla resurrect his international career.

Amit Mishra in action for India against West Indies in 2011

Amit Mishra

The classical attacking leg spinner from Delhi is another name that has been in and out of Team India for a while. Since he made his ODI debut back in 2003 against South Africa at Dhaka, Bangladesh, he has only played a total of 27 ODIs in which he has taken 45 wickets at a decent economy rate of 4.59.

That he has managed to gather only 27 games under his belt in over a decade does not give you a fair idea about Mishra’s prowess as a spin bowler. He made his debut at a time when stalwarts like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were at their peak, seriously denting his chances of making it to the Indian side.

He had to wait till 2008 to get his first cap in Tests and that too happened courtesy of an injury to Anil Kumble who was forced to sit out of the Mohali test match against Australia. He had a dream start to his Test career, bagging 14 wickets from the three Tests that he played – in the process being touted as the heir apparent to legendary leg spinner Anil Kumble, who was retiring from international cricket after that series.

But his inability to turn the ball on flat surfaces and an occasional failure to contain runs has cost him his place in the side; and with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel doing a fairly decent job in the spin department; it seems Mishra’s wait has just got longer.