In a country like India with a population of over a billion people and immense love for a sport like cricket, playing at the highest level can be a tough thing to do for anyone. With the team having just 15 slots to be filled up, and lakhs of people waiting to grab those, only the best of the lot are able to make it. And, the rest go back to be a part of the strugglers.

But, there are certain names that do get in, do well, and then disappear from the scene, never to be talked about again. Names like Wasim Jaffer, Subramaniam Badrinath are the prime examples of these. And, even these days there are cricketers whose names became a part of every discussion, but gradually faded over time, never to pop up again, in spite of the immense talent and potential that they have.

So, here’s a look at three such names, which have not been heard for some time now, but can still be back playing for the Indian team.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-349602" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_365410.jpg" alt="Karun Nair" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-349602" class="wp-caption-text">Karun Nair. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption>

Karun Nair’s story can be stated as a perfect example of an individual’s stupendous rise to fame overnight and then getting lost in the crowd, to the extent that the sport you once mastered, you aren’t even a part of its discussion at the highest level.

As everyone would remember, Nair, caught everyone’s eye in 2016 when he joined the legendary batsman Virender Sehwag to become the second Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket. He had played an unbeaten knock of 303 runs, in Chennai against England. And, Nair, who had been on the sidelines of cricket discussions till then was then a big talking point.

Everyone hailed him to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but little did they know that he was soon about to disappear from the list of contenders for the national team. Nair failed to get things going after that knock and was subsequently benched in all 5 Tests of the series against England when Hanuma Vihari was picked over him. He was dropped in the next series and has not gotten a national call up since then.

But, for Nair himself, his career at the highest level is far from over. He has been hustling hard in the domestic circuit and has reaped some promising results. But, for an international comeback, that is very much possible, he will have to get himself together and show the selectors, the captain and the coach that he is still worthy to get into the national team.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-316318" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Faiz-Fazal.jpg" alt="Faiz Fazal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-316318" class="wp-caption-text">Faiz Fazal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Indian cricket has had multiple stories of cricketers making it big in the national circuit and being hailed as legends at that level but failing to get rewarded appropriately for their exploits. And, Faiz Fazal’s name is the most recent addition to this list.

A domestic stalwart, Fazal has been denied chances of playing at the highest level of the sport for quite some time now. And, to make matters worse, when he was, that too for a single match, he showed what he was capable of. In the single match that he played for the Indian team against Zimbabwe in 2016, he scored 55 runs off 61 deliveries, and guided India to a 10-wicket win, along with KL Rahul, who has since then become a batting mainstay for the team.

In 2018, there were talks of him being picked for the Indian squad when he led the Vidarbha team by example and made them win their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Soon enough, those talks faded away as new names came into contention and were picked over this veteran player.

But, Fazal being the character he continues to put forward his best foot in every match that he plays, hoping to get the stars aligned in a way that he gets inducted into the team soon. All that he has to do now is wait for that one call up for the Indian team, which when he gets, he will definitely use it to cement his place in the line-up.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-384932" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Manoj-Tiwary-1.jpg" alt="Manoj Tiwary" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-384932" class="wp-caption-text">Manoj Tiwary. (Photo Source: Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/GettyImages)</figcaption>

A curious case of injuries and steep competition forcing a player out of the highest level of the sport, Manoj Tiwary’s run in Indian cricket so far is a great specimen to study and look into. A decorated Ranji career, which is perfect portrayal of his talent, and a series of injuries and fitness issues are the two factors that kept the selectors from selecting him into the team.

In his First-Class career, he has 8899 runs to his name in the 122 matches that he has been a part of. And, for any layman, these numbers would mean that the batsman in focus must be a regular feature in the national team. But, the wrong things happened to him at wrong times, which forced his departure from the Indian dressing room.

He was first picked to play in the Indian team back in 2008, as an opener in a series against Australia, in which his performances were sub-par. And, till then Rohit Sharma, who had played for India in the T20I World Cup the year before and had done fairly well came in. Owing to the right amount of support and opportunities he got, because of Tiwary’s injuries, he cemented his place in the Indian team. Tiwary did make some sporadic appearances for team India, with the latest one being in 2015. But, his performances in those matches were not enough to earn him a permanent spot.

While he has been out of the discussions for a place in the national team for quite some time now. It should not come as a surprise to anyone if a good domestic season, coupled with some faith from the newly constituted national selection committee, he makes a comeback in the Indian team.

In a country like India with a population of over a billion people and immense love for a sport like cricket, playing at the highest level can be a tough thing to do for anyone. With the team having just 15 slots to be filled up, and lakhs of people waiting to grab those, only the best of the lot are able to make it. And, the rest go back to be a part of the strugglers.
But, there are certain names that do get in, do well, and then disappear from the scene, never to be talked about again. Names like Wasim Jaffer, Subramaniam Badrinath are the prime examples of these. And, even these days there are cricketers whose names became a part of every discussion, but gradually faded over time, never to pop up again, in spite of the immense talent and potential that they have.
So, here’s a look at three such names, which have not been heard for some time now, but can still be back playing for the Indian team.
<h3>1. Karun Nair</h3>
<figure id="attachment_349602" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-349602" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-349602" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_365410.jpg" alt="Karun Nair" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-349602" class="wp-caption-text">Karun Nair. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Karun Nair’s story can be stated as a perfect example of an individual’s stupendous rise to fame overnight and then getting lost in the crowd, to the extent that the sport you once mastered, you aren’t even a part of its discussion at the highest level.
As everyone would remember, Nair, caught everyone’s eye in 2016 when he joined the legendary batsman Virender Sehwag to become the second Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket. He had played an unbeaten knock of 303 runs, in Chennai against England. And, Nair, who had been on the sidelines of cricket discussions till then was then a big talking point.
Everyone hailed him to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but little did they know that he was soon about to disappear from the list of contenders for the national team. Nair failed to get things going after that knock and was subsequently benched in all 5 Tests of the series against England when Hanuma Vihari was picked over him. He was dropped in the next series and has not gotten a national call up since then.
But, for Nair himself, his career at the highest level is far from over. He has been hustling hard in the domestic circuit and has reaped some promising results. But, for an international comeback, that is very much possible, he will have to get himself together and show the selectors, the captain and the coach that he is still worthy to get into the national team.
<h3>2. Faiz Fazal</h3>
<figure id="attachment_316318" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-316318" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-316318" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Faiz-Fazal.jpg" alt="Faiz Fazal" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-316318" class="wp-caption-text">Faiz Fazal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Indian cricket has had multiple stories of cricketers making it big in the national circuit and being hailed as legends at that level but failing to get rewarded appropriately for their exploits. And, Faiz Fazal’s name is the most recent addition to this list.
A domestic stalwart, Fazal has been denied chances of playing at the highest level of the sport for quite some time now. And, to make matters worse, when he was, that too for a single match, he showed what he was capable of. In the single match that he played for the Indian team against Zimbabwe in 2016, he scored 55 runs off 61 deliveries, and guided India to a 10-wicket win, along with KL Rahul, who has since then become a batting mainstay for the team.
In 2018, there were talks of him being picked for the Indian squad when he led the Vidarbha team by example and made them win their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Soon enough, those talks faded away as new names came into contention and were picked over this veteran player.
But, Fazal being the character he continues to put forward his best foot in every match that he plays, hoping to get the stars aligned in a way that he gets inducted into the team soon. All that he has to do now is wait for that one call up for the Indian team, which when he gets, he will definitely use it to cement his place in the line-up.
<h3>3. Manoj Tiwary</h3>
<figure id="attachment_384932" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-384932" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-384932" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Manoj-Tiwary-1.jpg" alt="Manoj Tiwary" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-384932" class="wp-caption-text">Manoj Tiwary. (Photo Source: Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/GettyImages)</figcaption></figure>
A curious case of injuries and steep competition forcing a player out of the highest level of the sport, Manoj Tiwary’s run in Indian cricket so far is a great specimen to study and look into. A decorated Ranji career, which is perfect portrayal of his talent, and a series of injuries and fitness issues are the two factors that kept the selectors from selecting him into the team.
In his First-Class career, he has 8899 runs to his name in the 122 matches that he has been a part of. And, for any layman, these numbers would mean that the batsman in focus must be a regular feature in the national team. But, the wrong things happened to him at wrong times, which forced his departure from the Indian dressing room.
He was first picked to play in the Indian team back in 2008, as an opener in a series against Australia, in which his performances were sub-par. And, till then Rohit Sharma, who had played for India in the T20I World Cup the year before and had done fairly well came in. Owing to the right amount of support and opportunities he got, because of Tiwary’s injuries, he cemented his place in the Indian team. Tiwary did make some sporadic appearances for team India, with the latest one being in 2015. But, his performances in those matches were not enough to earn him a permanent spot.
While he has been out of the discussions for a place in the national team for quite some time now. It should not come as a surprise to anyone if a good domestic season, coupled with some faith from the newly constituted national selection committee, he makes a comeback in the Indian team.

In a country like India with a population of over a billion people and immense love for a sport like cricket, playing at the highest level can be a tough thing to do for anyone. With the team having just 15 slots to be filled up, and lakhs of people waiting to grab those, only the best of the lot are able to make it. And, the rest go back to be a part of the strugglers.
But, there are certain names that do get in, do well, and then disappear from the scene, never to be talked about again. Names like Wasim Jaffer, Subramaniam Badrinath are the prime examples of these. And, even these days there are cricketers whose names became a part of every discussion, but gradually faded over time, never to pop up again, in spite of the immense talent and potential that they have.
So, here’s a look at three such names, which have not been heard for some time now, but can still be back playing for the Indian team.
<h3>1. Karun Nair</h3>
<figure id="attachment_349602" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-349602" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-349602" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_365410.jpg" alt="Karun Nair" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-349602" class="wp-caption-text">Karun Nair. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Karun Nair’s story can be stated as a perfect example of an individual’s stupendous rise to fame overnight and then getting lost in the crowd, to the extent that the sport you once mastered, you aren’t even a part of its discussion at the highest level.
As everyone would remember, Nair, caught everyone’s eye in 2016 when he joined the legendary batsman Virender Sehwag to become the second Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket. He had played an unbeaten knock of 303 runs, in Chennai against England. And, Nair, who had been on the sidelines of cricket discussions till then was then a big talking point.
Everyone hailed him to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but little did they know that he was soon about to disappear from the list of contenders for the national team. Nair failed to get things going after that knock and was subsequently benched in all 5 Tests of the series against England when Hanuma Vihari was picked over him. He was dropped in the next series and has not gotten a national call up since then.
But, for Nair himself, his career at the highest level is far from over. He has been hustling hard in the domestic circuit and has reaped some promising results. But, for an international comeback, that is very much possible, he will have to get himself together and show the selectors, the captain and the coach that he is still worthy to get into the national team.
<h3>2. Faiz Fazal</h3>
<figure id="attachment_316318" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-316318" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-316318" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Faiz-Fazal.jpg" alt="Faiz Fazal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-316318" class="wp-caption-text">Faiz Fazal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Indian cricket has had multiple stories of cricketers making it big in the national circuit and being hailed as legends at that level but failing to get rewarded appropriately for their exploits. And, Faiz Fazal’s name is the most recent addition to this list.
A domestic stalwart, Fazal has been denied chances of playing at the highest level of the sport for quite some time now. And, to make matters worse, when he was, that too for a single match, he showed what he was capable of. In the single match that he played for the Indian team against Zimbabwe in 2016, he scored 55 runs off 61 deliveries, and guided India to a 10-wicket win, along with KL Rahul, who has since then become a batting mainstay for the team.
In 2018, there were talks of him being picked for the Indian squad when he led the Vidarbha team by example and made them win their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Soon enough, those talks faded away as new names came into contention and were picked over this veteran player.
But, Fazal being the character he continues to put forward his best foot in every match that he plays, hoping to get the stars aligned in a way that he gets inducted into the team soon. All that he has to do now is wait for that one call up for the Indian team, which when he gets, he will definitely use it to cement his place in the line-up.
<h3>3. Manoj Tiwary</h3>
<figure id="attachment_384932" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-384932" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-384932" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Manoj-Tiwary-1.jpg" alt="Manoj Tiwary" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-384932" class="wp-caption-text">Manoj Tiwary. (Photo Source: Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/GettyImages)</figcaption></figure>
A curious case of injuries and steep competition forcing a player out of the highest level of the sport, Manoj Tiwary’s run in Indian cricket so far is a great specimen to study and look into. A decorated Ranji career, which is perfect portrayal of his talent, and a series of injuries and fitness issues are the two factors that kept the selectors from selecting him into the team.
In his First-Class career, he has 8899 runs to his name in the 122 matches that he has been a part of. And, for any layman, these numbers would mean that the batsman in focus must be a regular feature in the national team. But, the wrong things happened to him at wrong times, which forced his departure from the Indian dressing room.
He was first picked to play in the Indian team back in 2008, as an opener in a series against Australia, in which his performances were sub-par. And, till then Rohit Sharma, who had played for India in the T20I World Cup the year before and had done fairly well came in. Owing to the right amount of support and opportunities he got, because of Tiwary’s injuries, he cemented his place in the Indian team. Tiwary did make some sporadic appearances for team India, with the latest one being in 2015. But, his performances in those matches were not enough to earn him a permanent spot.
While he has been out of the discussions for a place in the national team for quite some time now. It should not come as a surprise to anyone if a good domestic season, coupled with some faith from the newly constituted national selection committee, he makes a comeback in the Indian team.

There are certain names that do get in, do well, and then disappear from the scene, never to be talked about again.

3 Forgotten Indian players who can still make a comeback

In a country like India with a population of over a billion people and immense love for a sport like cricket, playing at the highest level can be a tough