5 most underrated Indian cricketers

Cricket continues to grow and a helping hand from the media has boosted its popularity globally. Only a handful of nations play Test cricket but T20 cricket, the latest and shortest format, has proved to be revolutionary in the game's growth. 

However, despite the sport gaining popularity, some cricketers remain overshadowed due to different reasons. Some Indian cricketers achieved great success but were overshadowed by the popularity of their teammates. Cricket is clearly a numbers game but there are many cricketers who didn't get the recognition they deserve despite having good or comparatively better numbers than others.

Here are five underrated Indian cricketers:

5. Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer remains the leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy history with 12038 runs, almost 3000 more than the second-highest Amol Mazumdar. He also leads the century chart with 40 centuries and is only cricketer to score 1000-plus runs in an edition of the tournament on two occasions. 

These numbers are simply phenomenal and give him a top spot in legends of India's domestic cricket. But with this amazing resume, Jaffer managed to earn only 31 Test and two ODI caps for India. One can argue that the player himself failed to make an impact despite being given chances.

He scored 1944 runs at an average of 34.10 with five centuries in Test cricket for India. But those 31 Test appearances were spanned across nine years. Only 31 matches in nine years to judge the player's achievement is a bit harsh, but that did not happen with a player for the first time.