10 Indian cricketers who played just one game and faded away

9. MJ Gopalan

A very popular name back in the 1930s days of Madras cricket, MJ Gopalan made his India debut when England was touring India in 1933-34. By playing the second Kolkata Test match, the cricketer with his right-arm medium-pace bowling barely could scalp anything, as England in their first innings stacked up a total of over 400. Overall, while the Test match ended in a draw despite India facing a follow-on, MJ Gopalan, from his contribution of 19 overs, had in the end picked up a mere crucial wicket.

However, later on, while Gopalan again got selected for the tour of 1936 to England, the cricketer was initially in a big dilemma whether to join the cricket team for the tour or to represent India at the Berlin Olympics for hockey. Hence, with cricket taking over the precedence, neither Gopalan received any further opportunity to play for India again in the fractious England tour nor he was further selected for the home Test matches in the future.

Overall, with the cricketer also being known to bowl the first delivery of the Ranji Trophy in November 1934, Gopalan was a hulking figure in the south zone cricket who later also became a Test selector in the late 1950s. Also, the famous Gopalan Trophy for the matches between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka is apparently named after him.