5 Indian players who announced retirement to play in the USA

In India, it is not too long out of the cradle that a child picks up the bat and dreams to play for the country. Thus, there is cutthroat competition and cracking the code of making it to the national team isn’t a cakewalk. Even after having a decent stint in the domestic circuit, not every player is able to grab the attention of the selectors.

Consistency in the game is the other aspect that often comes to the fore. A little lean patch and someone else gets the edge above the other. This makes playing for the Indian cricket team a furthermore challenging task. The bench strength that India currently possesses exemplifies the talent that the nation beholds in the sport. Despite showing their prowess in the Under-19 circuit, the players have to go through a grueling journey to make it to the Indian team.

However, often excess competition leaves behind a few players who aren’t able to fetch in the opportunity to make it big. Over the course of time, fans have heard of quite a few cricketers who have hung up their boots from Indian cricket in order to get exposure and opportunities elsewhere. The Indian domestic players have taken this step to switch abroad to play the sport and extend their careers which might have not been possible in the country. Hence, let’s take a look at-

5 Indians who announced retirement to play in the USA

1. Unmukt Chand

The 2012 U19 World Cup-winning captain of India, Unmukt Chand, has signed a 3-year deal with the USA’s Major League Cricket (MLC) after bidding adieu to Indian cricket. For every cricketer, wearing the Indian blues is a dream and it was no different for Unmukt as well. He had caught the attention of many by displaying his flair in the Under 19 cricket.

Unmukt Chand hit an impressive unbeaten 111 to sail India to victory in the final of the Under-19 World Cup. Chand was then handed over the mantle of being the captain of the India A side and that further pinned his hopes on becoming a part of the Indian team soon. After smashing two consecutive tons in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy it was expected that he will make it to the national squad for the India-West Indies ODI series in 2014 but things turned out the other way.

Chand’s cricketing career witnessed its fair share of ebbs and flows. He was termed as the next big thing in Indian cricket as parallels were drawn between him and Virat Kohli.  He had last captained the Indian side in the year 2016. The other players who featured in the series went on to play for India but not Chand. He was then also dropped from the Delhi one day side later this year. With the view of making most of the talent he has under his belt, Chand thus took the step of shifting to the USA.

2. Smit Patel

Smit Patel’s cricketing career in India had struck with uncertainties. After proving his mettle in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, alongside Unmukt Chand, B Aparajith, and Sandeep Sharma, to name a few, Patel had to wait long for his chances. As Parthiv Patel remained the first choice wicket-keeper of the Gujarat side, Smit had to stay in the reserves of the side for quite a period of time.

Smit Patel was one of the names that shone in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup victory of India. He put up an impressive show with the willow in the finals alongside skipper Unmukt Chand to help India win the World Cup against Australia. However, success at the Under-19 level does not necessarily guarantee a national spot for many players. Patel also played for Tripura, Goa, and Baroda in the Ranji Trophy in search of more matches.

Smit Patel who is still just 28 has a long way ahead of him and thus took the call to play cricket for the USA. He wrapped up cricket in India after scoring 3278 first-class runs in 55 games at an average of 39.49. This includes 11 centuries and 14 half-centuries. He also featured in 43 List A matches and 28 T20s, scoring 1234 and 708 runs, in the two formats respectively.

3. Manan Sharma

The all-rounder from Delhi, Manan Sharma announced retirement from Indian cricket in order to move to California. He decided to take this call in search of superior opportunities in cricket. Sharma was part of the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He has also shared the dressing room with some of the key names in Indian cricket. Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and Shikhar Dhawan are the few players alongside whom Sharma played for the Delhi state team.

Sharma had established himself as Delhi’s premium spinner, finishing as the team’s leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy in 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. In February 2016, Manan was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 10 lakh at the IPL auction. He registered his career-best figures of 11 for 162 in Delhi’s four-wicket triumph against Haryana and also continued his momentum in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament as well.

In List A cricket, he has chipped in 560 runs and picked up 78 wickets at an economy rate of 4.38. Sharma has scalped 113 first-class wickets and scored 1208 runs. In the 26 T20s, he has scored 131 runs and also picked up 32 wickets in the format.

4. Siddharth Trivedi

Siddharth Trivedi is also one among the many names that left the country to go on to other countries and showcase their skills and play for that country in the International stages. He is one of the renowned names to have made his impact in the Indian Premier League. The right-arm seamer represented Rajasthan Royals in between IPL 2008 and IPL 2013 seasons alongside the likes of Shane Warne, Shane Watson, and Rahul Dravid.

Trivedi made his first-class debut for Gujarat in the 2002-2003 Ranji Trophy. He was selected in India’s squad for the 2002 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. His impressive bowling in the domestic circuit earned him a place in the IPL. He has played 76 IPL matches wherein he clinched a total of 65 wickets at an economy rate of 7.59.

Making his debut in 2002 with the Gujarat cricket team, he has played 82 first-class matches and has picked up 268 wickets. Trivedi also exuded his mettle in the List A matches picking up 107 wickets. In 103 T20 matches, he has scalped 103 wickets. Despite his glorious domestic career, he couldn’t make it to the national side owing to the high competition. The 38-year-old decided to join United States Minor League Cricket franchise St Louis Americans.

5. Milind Kumar

Milind Kumar decided to retire from Indian cricket to sign up for the Minor League. He had featured for Delhi, Sikkim, and Tripura in domestic cricket. He also played for the IPL franchise Royal challengers Bangalore in 2019 and then got named in Delhi Daredevils in the 2013 IPL. Kumar started his career with the Delhi side and later also went on to lead the team.

Milind Kumar hit an unbeaten 78 off 85 balls alongside Shikhar Dhawan who smashed a century in 2013 as Delhi triumphed against England in a practice match. In the year 2017, he also featured for Board President’s XI against New Zealand. After Kumar moved to Sikkim, he led the North East team and broke the previous record set by Shreyas Iyer for most runs in an edition of the Ranji Trophy. He slammed 1331 runs in just eight games at an average of 121.

The all-rounder has played 46 first-class matches wherein he has scored 2988 runs and picked up 33 wickets. Whereas in 65 List A games, Kumar has chipped in 2023 runs and scalped 12 wickets. About the T20s, in 58 matches he has hit 1176 runs and scalped 5 wickets.