Ranking 5 most under-rated Indian cricketers of all time

Back in 1932, India played their first Test match. 90 years since, the country has produced a number of massive names. It was after Kapil Dev’s men lifted the World Cup in 1983 that the cricket team started coming up the ranks.

The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Lala Amarnath set the records after which the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni carried forward the legacy. As time went by, the players conjured appreciation from the netizens as they kept performing at the highest level day in and day out.

However, a few of them haven’t quite gotten their due credit even after doing well on a consistent basis. They have devoted their time and passion for the national team, but have gotten lost in the crowd. If the record books are visited, numbers would back them.

In the article, let’s take a look at 5 most under-rated Indian cricketers

5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar  

Bhuvneshwar Kumar ambles in and floats the ball at the batter, unlike the likes of Bumrah, Umesh Yadav or Mohammed Shami, who both charges in and hurls in bouncers.

But even with the innocuous bowling action, Kumar has reaped the benefits as the pacer has picked up 246 wickets from 186 matches after his debut in 2012. Though he has managed to stay put in his position in the T20I and ODI teams, Kumar hasn’t quite played a lot of Test cricket in his career.

In fact, he hasn’t played a single first-class game since January 2018. When it comes to Indian fast bowling, Bhuvneshwar isn’t the most talked-about cricketer.

4. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma’s spell to Ricky Ponting in India’s 2007-08 tour of Australia is pretty much afresh in the minds of the fans. He was able to ruffle a few feathers in favourable conditions.

But Ishant had his troubles while bowling on Indian pitches, which, traditionally haven’t assisted the fast bowlers a whole lot. However, with 303 wickets from 101 matches, the tall and lanky speedster remains as a crucial member of the national Test team.

But while the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Ashwin kept grabbing the headlines, Ishant, in a responsible manner, kept producing results for India with pace and venom.

3. Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan started his international career with a lot of oomph and excitement. The speedster bowled brilliantly in the 2003-04 Australia tour and even went on to take a hat-trick against Pakistan, dismissing the likes of Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt and Younis Khan.

But somehow, Pathan lost a bit of track. In the 2007 T20 World Cup final, he became the Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan. The southpaw also played some vital knocks at the top of the order.

However, he didn’t get his due credit and was a tad overshadowed by the big names in Indian cricket. Pathan retired from all cricket in 2020.

2. Late Eknath Solkar

Late Eknath Solkar’s numbers as a batter might not furrow a lot of eyebrows, as he had a modest average of 25.42 in Test cricket and he didn’t get to play a lot of ODI matches either.

However, it’s his numbers as a fielder that’s worth mentioning. In 27 Test matches, Solkar took as many as 53 catches. Solkar took 1.96 catches per match, the highest among the ones who played 10 Tests or not.

Even as the ones, who pouch most catches are placed in the slip-cordon, Solkar showed his class as a forward short leg fielder. Had his batting record been a tad better, he would have conjured loads of more praises.

1. Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer was a run-machine in India’s domestic circuit with nearly 20,000 runs. Having hit 57 centuries and 91 half-centuries, he remains as the leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy after he surpassed Amol Mazumdar.

Apart from Mumbai, Jaffer also showed his class for Vidarbha at the fag end of his career. However, after making his debut for India in 2000, his international career came to a halt in 2008.

With five tons and 11 fifties, including a top score of 212, Jaffer hardly got a fair chance to show his talent. Even after he reached 40, he managed two double tons. Nevertheless, the praises hardly came for him.