There is a great possibility of mistaken identity cases in cricket given the wide range of players whose names are likely to match. There are quite a few occasions in team selections where the officials mistakenly picked a player instead of the other due to their similarities.

In this article, we try to list out ten of the most bizarre mistaken identity cases recorded in cricket. It involves team selection bloopers, unconfirmed news by media outlets, social media outrage and many more.

Here are few of the top mistaken identity instances in cricket that could be remembered for the ages to come:

10. When Twitter mistook Rishi Dhawan for Rush Kalaria due to scoring error

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415359" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishi-Dhawan-Rush-Kalaria.jpg" alt="Rishi Dhawan - Rush Kalaria" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415359" class="wp-caption-text">Rishi Dhawan &#8211; Rush Kalaria. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

Rush Kalaria was talking point on Twitter during the unofficial ODI between India A and Bangladesh A in Bangalore. The reason was the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/reports-bcci-to-help-countries-from-incurring-losses-in-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>BCCI</strong></a>&#8216;s scorecard of the match which showed the all-rounder from Gujarat smashing an unbeaten 56 from 34 balls as the home team reached 322/7 from 227/6 in the 41st over. Even the famed commentator Harsha Bhogle was interested to know more about Kalaria after that knock.

However, it was soon revealed that the BCCI&#8217;s scoring system mentioned Rush Kalaria instead of Rishi Dhawan. The Himachal Pradesh all-rounder followed up his batting exploits with 2/51 in his 8 overs to seal a 96-run win for India A. Rishi claimed the wickets of Bangladesh A skipper Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman.

9. Rubel Hossain’s travel to South Africa got delayed

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409086" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rubel-Hossain.jpg" alt="Rubel Hossain" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409086" class="wp-caption-text">Rubel Hossain. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Rubel Hossain was part of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa in the later quarter of 2017. The pacer couldn’t travel to South Africa along with the team as his immigration was denied due to criminal record. Later, it was revealed that Rubel’s details were similar to that of a tainted person. Rubel received clearance from the South African authorities a week later but missed their warm-up match in Benoni.

8. When Harpreet Singh missed out an IPL contract due to mistaken identity

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415360" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Harpreet-Singh-Harmeet-Singh.jpg" alt="Harpreet Singh - Harmeet Singh" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415360" class="wp-caption-text">Harpreet Singh &#8211; Harmeet Singh. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

Harpreet Singh was in rich form during the 2016-17 domestic season. He scored two fifties and a 40+ score across four innings during the Zonal edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 a month before the IPL auction. But the news of Mumbai cricketer Harmeet Singh’s arrest cost Harpreet an IPL contract due to mistaken identity. Harmeet, who was Harpreet’s teammate during the 2010 U19 World Cup, drove car into the platform of Andheri railway station.

The Madhya Pradesh batsman remained unsold and an official of a franchise revealed why they didn’t pick. According to Indian Express, a team official was quoted saying, “We wanted to buy him, but as news came of Harpreet’s arrest, we decided not to do so since it would give the franchise a bad image. But later, when the auction got over, we came to know it was Harmeet and not Harpreet.&#8221; Harpreet got into RCB as a replacement player for the injured <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/crictracker-exclusive-i-am-feeling-fitter-now-and-it-reflects-in-my-game-says-sarfaraz-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Sarfaraz Khan</strong></a>.

7. When Usman Khawaja was mistaken for a Pakistan player

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-170625" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja-1.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-170625" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Usman Khawaja, born in Islamabad, moved to Australia along with his family at a very young age. His excellence in the domestic circuit helped him to earn the Baggy Green in 2011. During Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016-17, Khawaja was set to play a Test match at the Gabba; the home ground of his Australian domestic team.

Answering a question about facing his birth country at the pre-match press conference, Khawaja revealed about a mistaken identity incident he faced earlier that day. Khawaja was waiting downstairs to access the dressing room. A Queensland Cricket lady came down and thought of helping out Khawaja. She mistook Usman to be a Pakistan cricketer and soon the left-handed batsman understood the situation.

6. Satyajit Parab got picked for Satyajit Satbhai in the Challenger Trophy

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-466079" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cricket-Stadium-1.jpg" alt="Cricket Stadium" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466079" class="wp-caption-text">Cricket Stadium. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Baroda batsman Satyajit Parab was picked in the India Green team for the Challenger Trophy during the 2007-08 season. But two days after the squad selection, it was announced that Parab was replaced by Maharashtra’s Satyajit Satbhai. BCCI clarified that Parab was mistaken for Satbhai and was replaced accordingly. Neither of them seemed to be ideal for a spot in the squad as Parab didn’t feature in List A format for Baroda in the previous two years while Satbhai’s batting numbers were quite poor.

5. Ravi Inder Singh mistaken for Ravindrasinh Jadeja in Challenger Trophy squad

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415363" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Inder-Singh-Ravindra-Jadeja.jpg" alt="Ravi Inder Singh - Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415363" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Inder Singh &#8211; Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

The Challenger Trophy fiasco repeated in 2008 with this time <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bahar-bindaas-gumthe-ho-ravindra-jadeja-has-a-witty-message-for-people-breaking-lockdown-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Ravindra Jadeja</strong></a> being on the receiving end. The all-rounder’s full name read Ravindrasinh Jadeja which was similar to that of the then Punjab player Ravi Inder Singh. By then, Jadeja was quite popular having been part of 2006 and 2008 Under-19 World Cups. He also played a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ title win in the inaugural edition of the IPL.

Just before the selections for the tournament, Jadeja smashed 155* against Mumbai in an Under-25 match. However, he couldn’t find a place in any of the squads but Ravi Inder Singh, who made his professional debut only a season ago, got picked in the India Blue team. An official from Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) claimed that it was a blooper from BCCI selectors and they didn’t have enough time to rectify it.

4. Cameron Boyce mistaken for an American actor on Twitter

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415366" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cameron-Boyce-Cameron-Mica-Boyce-American-actor.jpg" alt="Cameron Boyce - Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor)" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415366" class="wp-caption-text">Cameron Boyce &#8211; Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor). (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

During the 2019-20 BBL, Cameron Boyce revealed an interesting instance where his social media account went on fire. The Australian was mistaken for Cameron Mica Boyce, the American actor. The actor from the USA passed away in July 2019. People all over the globe began to pay their homage to the actor by mistakenly tagging the leg-spinner who also claimed to have received a big number of followers in one night.

3. When the Indian team picked a JP Yadav instead of another JP Yadav

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415367" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jai-Prakash-Yadav-picture.jpg" alt="Jai Prakash Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415367" class="wp-caption-text">Jai Prakash Yadav. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

Jyoti Prasad Yadav was selected for India’s tour of Canada for the 1998 Sahara Cup. He didn’t get a chance to make his debut and was never picked in the Indian squad after that. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/our-lives-changed-krunal-pandya-reveals-how-coach-john-wright-spotted-both-the-brothers-in-mumbai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>John Wright</strong></a>, in his book Indian Summers, revealed that it was Jai Prakash Yadav whom the Indian selectors wanted to pick but drafted the wrong JP Yadav. Both the players made their professional debut in 1994/95 season.

Jai Prakash had some brilliant numbers with the bat at that time which caught the attention of selectors. He smashed two hundreds and five fifties across the 20 List A games till that point and also claimed 10 wickets. But Jyoti Prasad scored only one fifty in 16 List A matches till then and could only pick two wickets. Both the players had similar numbers with the bat in FC cricket till that point as they smashed 5 centuries apiece.

2. Kenny Burn selected as back-up keeper without any experience as a wicketkeeper

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415369" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/James-Burn.jpg" alt="James Burn" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415369" class="wp-caption-text">James Burn. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

A selection headache occurred to the Australian cricket ahead of their 1890 Ashes series in England. Jack Blackham was Australia’s first-choice wicketkeeper but a lot of talks went on to pick a back-up option to manage Blackham’s workload who was aged 36 by then. When asked about his opinion, Blackham took the name of Tasmania’s Kenny Burn who was not in the suggestions list till then.

The management roped in Kenny on Blackham&#8217;s insistence who heard a lot of good things about the Tasmanian. But Kenny Burn left the whole team in dismay once they began the travel to England. Kenny revealed that he never kept wickets in his life and the player Blackham learnt about was James Burn, an elder relative of Kenny. James Burn was past the age of 40 by that time and featured in only one FC match in his career that too in 1868-69.

1. Virat Kohli mistakenly abused a journalist over an article

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-398230" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-world-cup.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-398230" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The 2015 World Cup campaign of India was marred by controversy due to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-off-field-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-virat-kohli/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Virat Kohli</strong></a> after big wins against Pakistan and South Africa at the start. Kohli went down to Jasvinder Sidhu, a reporter of Hindustan times and spoke inappropriately and also used cuss words. The reason for Kohli’s outbreak was later revealed to be a case of mistaken identity.

Kohli mistook Jasvinder to have written an article over Kohli and his then girlfriend Anushka Sharma. Realizing the mistake, Virat sent an apology to the HT reporter through a senior journalist. But Jasvinder Sidhu, having not received a direct apology for abuses, went on to report Kohli’s behaviour to the ICC. BCCI stepped into action to calm down the things by releasing a statement over the whole incident.

<p>There is a great possibility of mistaken identity cases in cricket given the wide range of players whose names are likely to match. There are quite a few occasions in team selections where the officials mistakenly picked a player instead of the other due to their similarities.</p>
<p>In this article, we try to list out ten of the most bizarre mistaken identity cases recorded in cricket. It involves team selection bloopers, unconfirmed news by media outlets, social media outrage and many more.</p>
<h3>Here are few of the top mistaken identity instances in cricket that could be remembered for the ages to come:</h3>
<h3>10. When Twitter mistook Rishi Dhawan for Rush Kalaria due to scoring error</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415359" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415359" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415359" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishi-Dhawan-Rush-Kalaria.jpg" alt="Rishi Dhawan - Rush Kalaria" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415359" class="wp-caption-text">Rishi Dhawan – Rush Kalaria. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rush Kalaria was talking point on Twitter during the unofficial ODI between India A and Bangladesh A in Bangalore. The reason was the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/reports-bcci-to-help-countries-from-incurring-losses-in-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>BCCI</strong></a>‘s scorecard of the match which showed the all-rounder from Gujarat smashing an unbeaten 56 from 34 balls as the home team reached 322/7 from 227/6 in the 41st over. Even the famed commentator Harsha Bhogle was interested to know more about Kalaria after that knock.</p>
<p>However, it was soon revealed that the BCCI’s scoring system mentioned Rush Kalaria instead of Rishi Dhawan. The Himachal Pradesh all-rounder followed up his batting exploits with 2/51 in his 8 overs to seal a 96-run win for India A. Rishi claimed the wickets of Bangladesh A skipper Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman.</p>
<hr>
<h3>9. Rubel Hossain’s travel to South Africa got delayed</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409086" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409086" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409086" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rubel-Hossain.jpg" alt="Rubel Hossain" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409086" class="wp-caption-text">Rubel Hossain. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rubel Hossain was part of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa in the later quarter of 2017. The pacer couldn’t travel to South Africa along with the team as his immigration was denied due to criminal record. Later, it was revealed that Rubel’s details were similar to that of a tainted person. Rubel received clearance from the South African authorities a week later but missed their warm-up match in Benoni.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>8. When Harpreet Singh missed out an IPL contract due to mistaken identity</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415360" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415360" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415360" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Harpreet-Singh-Harmeet-Singh.jpg" alt="Harpreet Singh - Harmeet Singh" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415360" class="wp-caption-text">Harpreet Singh – Harmeet Singh. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Harpreet Singh was in rich form during the 2016-17 domestic season. He scored two fifties and a 40+ score across four innings during the Zonal edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 a month before the IPL auction. But the news of Mumbai cricketer Harmeet Singh’s arrest cost Harpreet an IPL contract due to mistaken identity. Harmeet, who was Harpreet’s teammate during the 2010 U19 World Cup, drove car into the platform of Andheri railway station.</p>
<p>The Madhya Pradesh batsman remained unsold and an official of a franchise revealed why they didn’t pick. According to Indian Express, a team official was quoted saying, “We wanted to buy him, but as news came of Harpreet’s arrest, we decided not to do so since it would give the franchise a bad image. But later, when the auction got over, we came to know it was Harmeet and not Harpreet.” Harpreet got into RCB as a replacement player for the injured <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/crictracker-exclusive-i-am-feeling-fitter-now-and-it-reflects-in-my-game-says-sarfaraz-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Sarfaraz Khan</strong></a>.</p>
<hr>
<h3>7. When Usman Khawaja was mistaken for a Pakistan player</h3>
<figure id="attachment_170625" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170625" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-170625" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja-1.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-170625" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Usman Khawaja, born in Islamabad, moved to Australia along with his family at a very young age. His excellence in the domestic circuit helped him to earn the Baggy Green in 2011. During Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016-17, Khawaja was set to play a Test match at the Gabba; the home ground of his Australian domestic team.</p>
<p>Answering a question about facing his birth country at the pre-match press conference, Khawaja revealed about a mistaken identity incident he faced earlier that day. Khawaja was waiting downstairs to access the dressing room. A Queensland Cricket lady came down and thought of helping out Khawaja. She mistook Usman to be a Pakistan cricketer and soon the left-handed batsman understood the situation.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>6. Satyajit Parab got picked for Satyajit Satbhai in the Challenger Trophy</h3>
<figure id="attachment_466079" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466079" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-466079" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cricket-Stadium-1.jpg" alt="Cricket Stadium" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466079" class="wp-caption-text">Cricket Stadium. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Baroda batsman Satyajit Parab was picked in the India Green team for the Challenger Trophy during the 2007-08 season. But two days after the squad selection, it was announced that Parab was replaced by Maharashtra’s Satyajit Satbhai. BCCI clarified that Parab was mistaken for Satbhai and was replaced accordingly. Neither of them seemed to be ideal for a spot in the squad as Parab didn’t feature in List A format for Baroda in the previous two years while Satbhai’s batting numbers were quite poor.</p>
<hr>
<h3>5. Ravi Inder Singh mistaken for Ravindrasinh Jadeja in Challenger Trophy squad</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415363" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415363" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415363" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Inder-Singh-Ravindra-Jadeja.jpg" alt="Ravi Inder Singh - Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415363" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Inder Singh – Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Challenger Trophy fiasco repeated in 2008 with this time <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bahar-bindaas-gumthe-ho-ravindra-jadeja-has-a-witty-message-for-people-breaking-lockdown-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Ravindra Jadeja</strong></a> being on the receiving end. The all-rounder’s full name read Ravindrasinh Jadeja which was similar to that of the then Punjab player Ravi Inder Singh. By then, Jadeja was quite popular having been part of 2006 and 2008 Under-19 World Cups. He also played a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ title win in the inaugural edition of the IPL.</p>
<p>Just before the selections for the tournament, Jadeja smashed 155* against Mumbai in an Under-25 match. However, he couldn’t find a place in any of the squads but Ravi Inder Singh, who made his professional debut only a season ago, got picked in the India Blue team. An official from Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) claimed that it was a blooper from BCCI selectors and they didn’t have enough time to rectify it.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>4. Cameron Boyce mistaken for an American actor on Twitter</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415366" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415366" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415366" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cameron-Boyce-Cameron-Mica-Boyce-American-actor.jpg" alt="Cameron Boyce - Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor)" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415366" class="wp-caption-text">Cameron Boyce – Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor). (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>During the 2019-20 BBL, Cameron Boyce revealed an interesting instance where his social media account went on fire. The Australian was mistaken for Cameron Mica Boyce, the American actor. The actor from the USA passed away in July 2019. People all over the globe began to pay their homage to the actor by mistakenly tagging the leg-spinner who also claimed to have received a big number of followers in one night.</p>
<hr>
<h3>3. When the Indian team picked a JP Yadav instead of another JP Yadav</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415367" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415367" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415367" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jai-Prakash-Yadav-picture.jpg" alt="Jai Prakash Yadav" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415367" class="wp-caption-text">Jai Prakash Yadav. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jyoti Prasad Yadav was selected for India’s tour of Canada for the 1998 Sahara Cup. He didn’t get a chance to make his debut and was never picked in the Indian squad after that. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/our-lives-changed-krunal-pandya-reveals-how-coach-john-wright-spotted-both-the-brothers-in-mumbai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>John Wright</strong></a>, in his book Indian Summers, revealed that it was Jai Prakash Yadav whom the Indian selectors wanted to pick but drafted the wrong JP Yadav. Both the players made their professional debut in 1994/95 season.</p>
<p>Jai Prakash had some brilliant numbers with the bat at that time which caught the attention of selectors. He smashed two hundreds and five fifties across the 20 List A games till that point and also claimed 10 wickets. But Jyoti Prasad scored only one fifty in 16 List A matches till then and could only pick two wickets. Both the players had similar numbers with the bat in FC cricket till that point as they smashed 5 centuries apiece.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>2. Kenny Burn selected as back-up keeper without any experience as a wicketkeeper</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415369" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415369" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-415369" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/James-Burn.jpg" alt="James Burn" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415369" class="wp-caption-text">James Burn. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>A selection headache occurred to the Australian cricket ahead of their 1890 Ashes series in England. Jack Blackham was Australia’s first-choice wicketkeeper but a lot of talks went on to pick a back-up option to manage Blackham’s workload who was aged 36 by then. When asked about his opinion, Blackham took the name of Tasmania’s Kenny Burn who was not in the suggestions list till then.</p>
<p>The management roped in Kenny on Blackham’s insistence who heard a lot of good things about the Tasmanian. But Kenny Burn left the whole team in dismay once they began the travel to England. Kenny revealed that he never kept wickets in his life and the player Blackham learnt about was James Burn, an elder relative of Kenny. James Burn was past the age of 40 by that time and featured in only one FC match in his career that too in 1868-69.</p>
<hr>
<h3>1. Virat Kohli mistakenly abused a journalist over an article</h3>
<figure id="attachment_398230" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-398230" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-398230" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-world-cup.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-398230" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 2015 World Cup campaign of India was marred by controversy due to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-off-field-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-virat-kohli/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Virat Kohli</strong></a> after big wins against Pakistan and South Africa at the start. Kohli went down to Jasvinder Sidhu, a reporter of Hindustan times and spoke inappropriately and also used cuss words. The reason for Kohli’s outbreak was later revealed to be a case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>Kohli mistook Jasvinder to have written an article over Kohli and his then girlfriend Anushka Sharma. Realizing the mistake, Virat sent an apology to the HT reporter through a senior journalist. But Jasvinder Sidhu, having not received a direct apology for abuses, went on to report Kohli’s behaviour to the ICC. BCCI stepped into action to calm down the things by releasing a statement over the whole incident.</p>

<p>There is a great possibility of mistaken identity cases in cricket given the wide range of players whose names are likely to match. There are quite a few occasions in team selections where the officials mistakenly picked a player instead of the other due to their similarities.</p>
<p>In this article, we try to list out ten of the most bizarre mistaken identity cases recorded in cricket. It involves team selection bloopers, unconfirmed news by media outlets, social media outrage and many more.</p>
<h3>Here are few of the top mistaken identity instances in cricket that could be remembered for the ages to come:</h3>
<h3>10. When Twitter mistook Rishi Dhawan for Rush Kalaria due to scoring error</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415359" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415359" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415359" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishi-Dhawan-Rush-Kalaria.jpg" alt="Rishi Dhawan - Rush Kalaria" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415359" class="wp-caption-text">Rishi Dhawan &#8211; Rush Kalaria. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rush Kalaria was talking point on Twitter during the unofficial ODI between India A and Bangladesh A in Bangalore. The reason was the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/reports-bcci-to-help-countries-from-incurring-losses-in-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>BCCI</strong></a>&#8216;s scorecard of the match which showed the all-rounder from Gujarat smashing an unbeaten 56 from 34 balls as the home team reached 322/7 from 227/6 in the 41st over. Even the famed commentator Harsha Bhogle was interested to know more about Kalaria after that knock.</p>
<p>However, it was soon revealed that the BCCI&#8217;s scoring system mentioned Rush Kalaria instead of Rishi Dhawan. The Himachal Pradesh all-rounder followed up his batting exploits with 2/51 in his 8 overs to seal a 96-run win for India A. Rishi claimed the wickets of Bangladesh A skipper Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman.</p>
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<h3>9. Rubel Hossain’s travel to South Africa got delayed</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409086" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409086" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409086" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rubel-Hossain.jpg" alt="Rubel Hossain" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409086" class="wp-caption-text">Rubel Hossain. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rubel Hossain was part of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa in the later quarter of 2017. The pacer couldn’t travel to South Africa along with the team as his immigration was denied due to criminal record. Later, it was revealed that Rubel’s details were similar to that of a tainted person. Rubel received clearance from the South African authorities a week later but missed their warm-up match in Benoni.</p>
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<h3>8. When Harpreet Singh missed out an IPL contract due to mistaken identity</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415360" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415360" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415360" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Harpreet-Singh-Harmeet-Singh.jpg" alt="Harpreet Singh - Harmeet Singh" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415360" class="wp-caption-text">Harpreet Singh &#8211; Harmeet Singh. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Harpreet Singh was in rich form during the 2016-17 domestic season. He scored two fifties and a 40+ score across four innings during the Zonal edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 a month before the IPL auction. But the news of Mumbai cricketer Harmeet Singh’s arrest cost Harpreet an IPL contract due to mistaken identity. Harmeet, who was Harpreet’s teammate during the 2010 U19 World Cup, drove car into the platform of Andheri railway station.</p>
<p>The Madhya Pradesh batsman remained unsold and an official of a franchise revealed why they didn’t pick. According to Indian Express, a team official was quoted saying, “We wanted to buy him, but as news came of Harpreet’s arrest, we decided not to do so since it would give the franchise a bad image. But later, when the auction got over, we came to know it was Harmeet and not Harpreet.&#8221; Harpreet got into RCB as a replacement player for the injured <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/crictracker-exclusive-i-am-feeling-fitter-now-and-it-reflects-in-my-game-says-sarfaraz-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Sarfaraz Khan</strong></a>.</p>
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<h3>7. When Usman Khawaja was mistaken for a Pakistan player</h3>
<figure id="attachment_170625" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-170625" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-170625" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja-1.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-170625" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Usman Khawaja, born in Islamabad, moved to Australia along with his family at a very young age. His excellence in the domestic circuit helped him to earn the Baggy Green in 2011. During Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016-17, Khawaja was set to play a Test match at the Gabba; the home ground of his Australian domestic team.</p>
<p>Answering a question about facing his birth country at the pre-match press conference, Khawaja revealed about a mistaken identity incident he faced earlier that day. Khawaja was waiting downstairs to access the dressing room. A Queensland Cricket lady came down and thought of helping out Khawaja. She mistook Usman to be a Pakistan cricketer and soon the left-handed batsman understood the situation.</p>
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<h3>6. Satyajit Parab got picked for Satyajit Satbhai in the Challenger Trophy</h3>
<figure id="attachment_466079" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466079" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-466079" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cricket-Stadium-1.jpg" alt="Cricket Stadium" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466079" class="wp-caption-text">Cricket Stadium. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Baroda batsman Satyajit Parab was picked in the India Green team for the Challenger Trophy during the 2007-08 season. But two days after the squad selection, it was announced that Parab was replaced by Maharashtra’s Satyajit Satbhai. BCCI clarified that Parab was mistaken for Satbhai and was replaced accordingly. Neither of them seemed to be ideal for a spot in the squad as Parab didn’t feature in List A format for Baroda in the previous two years while Satbhai’s batting numbers were quite poor.</p>
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<h3>5. Ravi Inder Singh mistaken for Ravindrasinh Jadeja in Challenger Trophy squad</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415363" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415363" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415363" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Inder-Singh-Ravindra-Jadeja.jpg" alt="Ravi Inder Singh - Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415363" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Inder Singh &#8211; Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Challenger Trophy fiasco repeated in 2008 with this time <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/bahar-bindaas-gumthe-ho-ravindra-jadeja-has-a-witty-message-for-people-breaking-lockdown-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Ravindra Jadeja</strong></a> being on the receiving end. The all-rounder’s full name read Ravindrasinh Jadeja which was similar to that of the then Punjab player Ravi Inder Singh. By then, Jadeja was quite popular having been part of 2006 and 2008 Under-19 World Cups. He also played a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ title win in the inaugural edition of the IPL.</p>
<p>Just before the selections for the tournament, Jadeja smashed 155* against Mumbai in an Under-25 match. However, he couldn’t find a place in any of the squads but Ravi Inder Singh, who made his professional debut only a season ago, got picked in the India Blue team. An official from Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) claimed that it was a blooper from BCCI selectors and they didn’t have enough time to rectify it.</p>
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<h3>4. Cameron Boyce mistaken for an American actor on Twitter</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415366" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415366" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415366" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Cameron-Boyce-Cameron-Mica-Boyce-American-actor.jpg" alt="Cameron Boyce - Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor)" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415366" class="wp-caption-text">Cameron Boyce &#8211; Cameron Mica Boyce (American actor). (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>During the 2019-20 BBL, Cameron Boyce revealed an interesting instance where his social media account went on fire. The Australian was mistaken for Cameron Mica Boyce, the American actor. The actor from the USA passed away in July 2019. People all over the globe began to pay their homage to the actor by mistakenly tagging the leg-spinner who also claimed to have received a big number of followers in one night.</p>
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<h3>3. When the Indian team picked a JP Yadav instead of another JP Yadav</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415367" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415367" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415367" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jai-Prakash-Yadav-picture.jpg" alt="Jai Prakash Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415367" class="wp-caption-text">Jai Prakash Yadav. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Jyoti Prasad Yadav was selected for India’s tour of Canada for the 1998 Sahara Cup. He didn’t get a chance to make his debut and was never picked in the Indian squad after that. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/our-lives-changed-krunal-pandya-reveals-how-coach-john-wright-spotted-both-the-brothers-in-mumbai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>John Wright</strong></a>, in his book Indian Summers, revealed that it was Jai Prakash Yadav whom the Indian selectors wanted to pick but drafted the wrong JP Yadav. Both the players made their professional debut in 1994/95 season.</p>
<p>Jai Prakash had some brilliant numbers with the bat at that time which caught the attention of selectors. He smashed two hundreds and five fifties across the 20 List A games till that point and also claimed 10 wickets. But Jyoti Prasad scored only one fifty in 16 List A matches till then and could only pick two wickets. Both the players had similar numbers with the bat in FC cricket till that point as they smashed 5 centuries apiece.</p>
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<h3>2. Kenny Burn selected as back-up keeper without any experience as a wicketkeeper</h3>
<figure id="attachment_415369" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-415369" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-415369" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/James-Burn.jpg" alt="James Burn" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-415369" class="wp-caption-text">James Burn. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>A selection headache occurred to the Australian cricket ahead of their 1890 Ashes series in England. Jack Blackham was Australia’s first-choice wicketkeeper but a lot of talks went on to pick a back-up option to manage Blackham’s workload who was aged 36 by then. When asked about his opinion, Blackham took the name of Tasmania’s Kenny Burn who was not in the suggestions list till then.</p>
<p>The management roped in Kenny on Blackham&#8217;s insistence who heard a lot of good things about the Tasmanian. But Kenny Burn left the whole team in dismay once they began the travel to England. Kenny revealed that he never kept wickets in his life and the player Blackham learnt about was James Burn, an elder relative of Kenny. James Burn was past the age of 40 by that time and featured in only one FC match in his career that too in 1868-69.</p>
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<h3>1. Virat Kohli mistakenly abused a journalist over an article</h3>
<figure id="attachment_398230" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-398230" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-398230" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-world-cup.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-398230" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The 2015 World Cup campaign of India was marred by controversy due to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-off-field-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-virat-kohli/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Virat Kohli</strong></a> after big wins against Pakistan and South Africa at the start. Kohli went down to Jasvinder Sidhu, a reporter of Hindustan times and spoke inappropriately and also used cuss words. The reason for Kohli’s outbreak was later revealed to be a case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>Kohli mistook Jasvinder to have written an article over Kohli and his then girlfriend Anushka Sharma. Realizing the mistake, Virat sent an apology to the HT reporter through a senior journalist. But Jasvinder Sidhu, having not received a direct apology for abuses, went on to report Kohli’s behaviour to the ICC. BCCI stepped into action to calm down the things by releasing a statement over the whole incident.</p>

Here are few of the top mistaken identity instances in cricket that could be remembered for the ages to come.

10 Bizarre cases of mistaken identity in cricket

There is a great possibility of mistaken identity cases in cricket given the wide range of players whose names are likely to match.