11 Indians who played only one T20I in their international career

The popularity of T20 cricket has reached at the next level because of the fast-paced game and the glamorous avatar of the sport. With IPL’s rise, the Indian Cricket Team has gotten a plethora of resources in all the departments. Such has been the abundance of talent that whenever a player under-performs in a T20I match, the fans appeal to include the upcoming player in the team.

The selectors have tried to use the resources to the fullest however, the repeated changes have led to the downfall of the Indian T20I team. There is a reason the team could not repeat its ODI and Test success in the shortest form of the game and that is the continuous changes in the team. The players are axed from the team even if they perform below-par in just two or three games.

This ideology has shortened the careers of multiple Indian players and till date, there have been 11 Indian players who could play only one T20 international in their entire career.

Here’s a list featuring the Indians who played only one T20I

Dinesh Mongia

The Chandigarh-born Indian veteran, Dinesh Mongia was one of the eleven players who represented India in its maiden T20I match against South Africa. Mongia, who had played 57 ODIs in his career, came out to bat at number 3 for India in that match. Chasing a modest target of 127, Mongia took the team’s score near the target by playing a knock of 38 runs.

He lasted for 45 deliveries in the middle before losing his wicket to Robin Peterson. The left-handed batsman was ignored for the 2007 T20 World Cup and he never featured in the IPL as well hence, he ended his T20I career after playing just one match.

Sachin Tendulkar

One of the greatest batsmen that the cricket universe has seen, Sachin Tendulkar too played just one T20I in his career. Just like Dinesh Mongia, the Mumbai-born stalwart had made his T20I debut against South Africa in 2006 where he hit 10 runs off 12 deliveries. Only a few fans may know that Sachin had even taken a wicket in that match.

As he had opted out of the T20 World Cup squad, the selectors did not pick him for the T20 tournament. Since the then captain MS Dhoni wanted to build a team around the youngsters, Tendulkar never received another chance to represent the nation in T20 cricket.

He was a regular fixture for Mumbai Indians in IPL, but; he played just a solitary T20I match in his illustrious career.

Murali Kartik

Murali Kartik had cemented his place in the Indian team with his stellar performances in the home series against Australia. His spell of 6/27 in the ODI series had earned him a spot in the Indian T20I team, and he made his debut against the Aussies.

In the lone T20I that Kartik played during his career, he bowled 4 tidy overs where he conceded just 27 runs but he could not take any wicket. Though India had won that match, the left-arm spinner from Chennai never returned to the T20I team.

After playing his last competitive match in 2016, Kartik has now become a cricket expert and commentator. He had played for 4 IPL franchises in his career.

Sudeep Tyagi

The right-arm fast bowler from Ghaziabad, Sudeep Tyagi had made a name for himself while playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. His impressive performances for the Chennai-based franchise earned him a national call-up in 2009.

Tyagi made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka at Mohali. Playing on a flat pitch at Mohali, India had conceded 201 runs to the visitors in the first innings and Tyagi bowled only 2 overs where he leaked 21 runs at an economy rate of 10.50.

Since he got hit for 2 fours and 1 six in the 12 balls he bowled, the team management dropped him from the T20I squad. Tyagi’s performances dipped after that year and soon, even the Chennai Super Kings released him. The match against Sri Lanka proved to be his only T20I appearance for India.

Subramaniam Badrinath

One of the most talented players of the Indian domestic circuit, Subramaniam Badrinath had broken into the Indian team in the year 2008. He made his ODI debut in 2008 but he had to wait for 3 years before receiving his Indian T20I cap. Badrinath had started his T20I career along with Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan however, he could not play more matches for India.

An interesting fact to note is that the right-handed batsman had won the Man of the Match against West Indies on his T20I debut still, he was dropped from the T20I team. The former Chennai Super Kings player had played a knock of 43 runs which consisted of 5 fours.

His 37-ball innings had helped India win the match by 16 runs but, it proved out be Badrinath’s last T20I match.

Rahul Dravid

The Wall of the Indian Cricket Team, Rahul Dravid had made his T20I debut way back in 2012 that was 16 years after he played his first match for India. As a lot of players had suffered injuries during India’s disastrous tour of England, the Indian team was left with no other option but to name Rahul in the T20I squad for the match against England.

Many people questioned his selection in the team but, Dravid silenced all his critics by hitting 3 consecutive sixes off Samit Patel’s deliveries. He scored 31 runs in his only T20I match and ended his T20I career with a strike rate of 147.61.

Although India had lost that T20 game, the fans remember the quick-fire knock played by the world’s most defensive batsman.

Karn Sharma

Karn Sharma grabbed the limelight by performing superbly for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Unlike the other players on this list, Karn had made his T20I debut before playing his first ODI or Test. He earned his maiden T20I cap against England in 2014.

The Railways leg-spinner had bowled a fine spell of 4 overs in that game where he gave away 28 runs but took the important wicket of Joe Root. Ultimately, India lost that match by 3 runs and, Karn never came back to the T20I team.

It is noteworthy that England’s explosive opener, Jason Roy and India’s controversy king, Ambati Rayudu had made their T20I debut in the same match. Since his leg-spin is no longer so effective as it was once, the chances that the 32-year-old returns to the Indian team are very low.

Sreenath Aravind

Karnataka’s left-arm fast bowler, Sreenath Aravind had drawn the attention of the selectors with his consistent performances in the IPL and the domestic circuit. Aravind made his first international appearance for India in a T20I match against South Africa in 2015.

Rohit Sharma had scored a brilliant hundred for India in the match and guided the home side to a total of 199 in Dharamshala. However, South Africa chased the target down with ease as the inexperienced Indian bowling attack could not curtail the runs.

Debutant Sreenath Aravind bowled 3.4 overs in the game where he conceded 44 runs at an expensive economy rate of 12. Hence, he was never picked again in the Indian team.

Pawan Negi

One of the most promising spin-bowling all-rounders of the nation, Pawan Negi had made his T20I debut for India in the year 2016. The left-arm spinner was amongst the players who were in line to play the T20 World Cup for India.

He kicked off his T20I career against U.A.E. in the 2016 Asia Cup and despite the fact that he had figures of 1/16 in his 3 overs, the all-rounder was dropped from the team. The left-arm spinner had scalped the wicket of Muhammad Usman in that game where he bowled 8 dot balls and conceded just a single boundary.

His disappointing performances in the succeeding IPL tournament meant that Negi never played another match for India. The Delhi-born all-rounder was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in IPL 2019.

Rishi Dhawan

The former Mumbai Indians star, Rishi Dhawan played his first and only T20I match for India in June 2016 against Zimbabwe. Though the Zimbabwean side is known to be a weaker team, they had defeated the mighty Men in Blue by 2 runs in that match.

All-rounder Rishi Dhawan was the second most expensive bowler of the Indian team as the right-arm pacer leaked 42 runs in his 4 overs spell. He had an economy rate of 10.50 in that innings. Besides, he could not contribute much with the bat as well.

The Mandi-born player remained unbeaten on 1 run off 2 balls in India’s defeat. Because of his under-par performance in both the departments, Dhawan lost his place in the team.

Parvez Rasool

The 30-year-old off-spinner, Parvez Rasool had become the first ever Jammu and Kashmir player to play a T20I match for India in 2017. The all-rounder had made his ODI debut for India in 2014; however, his first T20I appearance came after 3 years against England.

Just like Rishi Dhawan, Parvez let the fans down by not performing up to the mark in both the departments. He scored just 5 runs off 6 balls after coming out to bat in the 17th over. With the ball, Rasool bowled 4 overs and took the wicket of Eoin Morgan besides giving away 32 runs.

The Bijbehara-born player has been a part of Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL but he may never come back to the Indian T20I team.