5 Unfulfilled talents of the 21st century

Talent. What is it about this six-letter word that gets sports fans on the edge of their feet? In a cricketing context, is it the audaciousness of a stroke played by a batsman or the way a young fast bowler runs in and bamboozles the opposition with his searing pace, that befuddles you, and you’re like: “Here’s someone for the future”?

But, according to Harsha Bhogle, talent can, at times, be one of the most useless things to possess because ultimately, it is not what you have that matters, it is what you do with that talent, which eventually decides the course of your journey. And, we have seen, too many outrageously talented cricketers- courtesy the lack of temperament- squander the chance of becoming one of the greats in the name, ending up as an unfulfilled dream for their fans.

Here’s a look at the top 5 unfulfilled talents of the 21st century-

1. Robin Uthappa

A dream debut at the age of 21 where he dazzled with a match-winning 86 against England; a spot in the 2007 World Cup team; a consistent performer in the 2007 T20 World Cup campaign; a member of India’s historic tri-series win in Australia.

But why did a batsman, who was a combination of gorgeous strokeplay and steely nerves, like the ones that he displayed during that miraculous run-chase against England in 2007 didn’t have an illustrious international career?

But as is the case with many precocious talents of the past, Utthappa’s inconsistency did him no good and with the emergence of the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he soon lost his place in the national side in the summer of 2008. Uthappa would carry on making heaps of runs in both domestic cricket and the IPL and while he did get a recall after six years, the chances of make him it big at the International level were well and truly over.