Indian cricketers with most Tests missed between two appearances

3. Parthiv Patel - 83 Test matches missed

Wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel’s return to India’s Test side in 2016 came after a stellar domestic run. Having last played a Test in 2008, Patel had to wait for 83 matches before donning the whites again for the nation against England at Mohali in November 2016. In his comeback game, he scored 42 off 85 balls in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 67 off just 54 deliveries in the second, helping India clinch a clinical victory.

Once the youngest wicketkeeper to debut in Tests at just 17, the Gujarat cricketer had played 20 Tests before the long gap. However, with competition from the likes of MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, and Wriddhiman Saha, it became tough to break into the squad. With over 11,000 first-class runs, he used those years to fine-tune both his glove work and batting. In all, Parthiv played 25 Tests, scoring 934 runs at an average of 31.13, including six fifties.