5 promising Indian cricketers whose career faded away

Ajay Sharma

There are two parts to the Ajay Sharma story that shouldn't be forgotten. First is his exploits with the bat that saw him finish his first-class career with the third-best average of any player who scored over 10,000 runs and yet played in only one Test. The second is his involved in the match-fixing scandal that ended his career after he was given a life ban.

In his 129-match first-class career, Ajay Sharma scored 10,120 runs at an average of 67.46, including 38 centuries. His Test debut came in 1988 and although he looked decent with scores of 30 and 23, he never played for India in the longest format again. Despite an excellent first-class record, Ajay never got another chance in the whites.

However, he did play 31 ODIs and his handy left-arm spin meant he was seen more as an ODI specialist despite not really impressing particularly with either bat or ball in the format. Arguably the unluckiest of the players on this list, 10,000 first-class runs at an average of nearly 70 only earned him a solitary Test for India.