5 Indian Spin Prodigies who failed to fulfil their potential

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.