Top-five domestic players to never have donned the India cap
To be successful in the field of cricket, a player needs to have a certain amount of luck. As much as numbers, talent, ability, and consistency come into the fore while picking a player for the national team, luck plays a vital role in deciding the fortune of a cricketer.
There were many, who despite having a pretty long and successful career in the domestic circuit, couldn’t make it to the national team but continued plying their trade for the sheer love of the game.
1. Amol Muzumdar
First-class matches: - 171
Runs: - 11,167
HS: - 260 (On debut)
Average: - 48.13
Major Teams:- Mumbai, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh
A pure orthodox technique that resembled poetry-in-motion, a smile that belied his high-level of confidence, and a scrupulous nature to his game, were some of the things that defined Amol Muzumdar. Probably, Muzumdar was the classiest domestic cricketer of India in the last three decades or so but as luck had it, he could never don the India blues or whites during his career. A career that spanned over two decades, Muzumdar ruled Indian domestic cricket and racked up many a record in the process.
He announced his arrival with a record-breaking 260 runs in his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai in the 1993-94 pre-quarter-final game against Haryana at the Nahar Singh Stadium in Faridabad. It was a world record for the highest score made on first-class debut, which till then was held by Transvaal's W. F. E. Marx, who made 240 against Griqualand West in Johannesburg in 1920-21.
Consistent knocks followed in the following seasons as he proved that the promise surrounding him was no fluke. He was even selected as the vice-captain of the India Under-19 team. He played alongside the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for India A, but destiny had other plans in store. Where both Ganguly and Dravid went on to captain India for a long time, it was Amol Muzumdar
Probably, he was born in a wrong era, the era dominated by the fab-four of Indian cricket. His preferable batting position, No.3 also added further improbability of a selection as Rahul Dravid filled the bill so very nicely for close to 15 years.
Despite that, Muzumdar did carry on with his mission, and alongside Wasim Jaffer, he kept the hegemony of Mumbai in Indian domestic circuit intact. He went on to be a part of seven Ranji Trophy victories.
But after being left out of the Mumbai squad for the Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in 2009, Muzumdar announced that he would represent Assam in the next Ranji season. In October 2012, he signed to play for Andhra Pradesh and stayed there before announcing his retirement in 2014.
2. Rajinder Goel
First-class matches:- 157
Wickets: - 750
5-wicket hauls per innings- 59
10-wicket hauls per match: 18
Major Teams: Haryana
Like Amol Muzumdar, Goel was also born in a wrong era when the spin quartet of India - Bishan Singh Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan weaved magic with their finger and palm, which robbed him of a place in the national side. Although he picked wickets in the domestic tournaments like picking apples in a garden, it never ensured him a place in the side.
With a short and economic run-up, Goel was a treat to watch throughout his career. He was one of the greatest
In all First-Class cricket, Goel had 750 wickets from 157 matches at a frugal average of 18.58 with an economy rate of 2.09. He had 59 five-
Despite these achievements, Goel could never play for India. The only time, he was close to the landmark, was in the year 1964-65, when he played in one unofficial Test against Sri Lanka (then Ceylon).
One of the finest gentlemen on and off the field, Goel doesn’t harbor any pain of not playing for the country as he says in an interview, "It was an
3. Devendra Bundela:-
First-class matches:- 155
Runs:- 9,558
HS:- 188 (Latest game of the Ranji Trophy)
Average:- 44.45
Major Teams: Madhya Pradesh
The highest capped Ranji cricketer, the third highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy, 9,558 runs and counting across 21 winters in first-class cricket, Devendra Bundela’s achievement in Indian domestic cricket is a heartening tale of unfaltering belief and perseverance. While he says that he doesn’t have any lingering pain of not playing for India, deep inside the heart he might know that he deserved
This love for the sport started back in the year 1989 when Bundela decided to leave his hometown Ujjain and shift to Indore to pursue his dream only at the age of 12. In Indore, he came in contact with one of India’s finest administrators Sanjay Jagdale, and life changed for good since then.
A half-century on debut for MP Under-16 side and consistent performances in almost every game that MP played made sure that he was graduated to the MP under-19 squad and then to India under-19 for a game against Australia. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in the year 1995-96 against Tamil Nadu.
But, it was the year 1999-00 that he remembers as the most unforgettable phase of his life. Madhya Pradesh made it to the finals of the Ranji Trophy and Bundela made a whopping 1,008 runs from 11 innings in the season. But after taking the first-innings lead, MP collapsed in the second to miss the revered Trophy by a whisker.
A sturdily built middle-order batsman with powerful wrists and nimble feet, Bundela managed to create an aura around himself like very few cricketers did in their lives. He pulled level with Amol Muzumdar as the highest-capped player in the Ranji Trophy in the latest game against Railways of the Ranji Trophy.
Despite this, he failed to catch the eye of Indian selectors.
Also Read:- Patience, belief and perseverance: The Devendra Bundela way
4. Sridharan Sharath:
First-class matches:- 139
Runs:- 8,700
HS:- 224
Average:- 51.17
Major Teams:- Tamil Nadu, Assam
Termed as the ‘crisis manager’ of Tamil Nadu team, unfortunately, Sridharan Sharath’s biggest accomplishment would only be playing Ranji Trophy. Sharath finished with
Sharath was not the most flamboyant cricketer one would come across, but with a cool head, he bailed Tamil Nadu out of a soup,
For all his exploits in domestic cricket, and for all his contribution to Tamil Nadu cricket, Sharath would be remembered as a giant for times to come.
5. Amarjit Kaypee:-
First-class match:- 117Runs:- 7,894
Runs:- 7,894
HS:- 210*
Average:- 52.27
Major Teams:- Punjab, Haryana
When Amarjit Kaypee hung his boots after a glorious domestic career in 2000, he went down as the highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 7623 runs at 54.06, including 27 centuries, which was later broken by Amol Muzumdar and then Wasim Jaffer. With immaculate concentration, sound technique, and a strong penchant for runs,
Unlike others,
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