5 players who were recently called up to the Indian squad but got dropped without playing a single match

Every individual who starts a professional cricketing career in India aims to become a part of the Indian squad one day. However, only top-quality players can make it to the Indian cricket team. The 11 players donning the blue jersey on the field represent a nation of over one billion people.

Making it to the Indian squad is not everyone's cup of tea. Along with hard work and dedication, the players also need some luck to break into the team. Over the years, fans have seen how some superstars of domestic cricket unluckily never get an opportunity to play international cricket.

In this listicle, we will look at the five players who were recently called up to the Indian squad but dropped without playing a game.

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#1 Rahul Tewatia was a part of the Indian squad for the home series against England

Spin-bowling all-rounder Rahul Tewatia came into the spotlight while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020. He played a couple of match-winning knocks for the team and also bowled some impressive spells. Courtesy of his all-round brilliance, Tewatia received a place in the Indian squad for the T20I series against England last year.

The all-rounder did not get to play a single game in the five-match series. Despite performing well in IPL 2022, Tewatia has not been recalled to the Indian team yet.

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#2 Ishan Porel

Ishan Porel was called up to the Indian squad during the T20I series against Sri Lanka last year. Due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp, the visitors had to add some net bowlers to the main team.

Porel was one of them. Unfortunately though, he did not receive his maiden international cap in that series.

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#3 Simarjeet Singh

Another fast bowler who earned a place in the Indian T20I squad during the Sri Lanka tour last year was Simarjeet Singh. The team management, however, selected Sandeep Warrier in the playing XI ahead of Singh and Porel.

After an impressive season with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL this year, Singh could make his debut in the near future.

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#4 R Sai Kishore

R Sai Kishore was another net bowler added to the Indian T20I squad during the Sri Lanka series. Unlike the previous two names on this list, Sai Kishore is a left-arm spinner.

Sai Kishore was not retained in the squad after the Sri Lanka tour ended. But given how he performed for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022, he could soon be recalled.

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#5 Basil Thampi

Basil Thampi won the IPL Emerging Player of the Season award in 2017. Later that year, he earned his maiden national call-up for the home series against Sri Lanka, but the team management kept him on the bench for the entire series.

Thampi was subsequently dropped and is yet to make his international debut. The Kerala-based fast bowler turned up for the Mumbai Indians in the recently concluded IPL season.