7 Indian players who played test cricket in the last decade you might have forgotten

Test cricket is the pinnacle of international cricket and there is a reason why many cricketers aspire a test cap for their national side. While some players like Sachin Tendulkar go onto play 200 test matches there are others who make their way into the test side and play for their national sides in a short lived test appearance and are never picked again. We take a look at seven Indian players who played test match cricket for India in the last decade whom you might have forgotten.

Jaydev Unadkat – Left arm Medium bowler – One test match for India

Fresh of his exploits for the Indian under 19 team in 2010 world cup, Jaydev Unadkat made his debut for the Indian test side on a spicy pitch at Centurion in 2010. His inclusion caused massive debates as he was chosen ahead of Umesh Yadav and the left arm medium bowler from Saurashtra bowler 26 overs and conceded 101 runs in a run fest the South African batsman had at the expense of the Indian bowlers.  That sadly was the only test the lanky Unadkat played for India and has since been trying to force his way back into the whites of India.

Subramanium Badrinath – Middle Order batsman – 2 test matches for India

Drafted into the side due to a few injuries suffered by the Indian team when they were hosting the visiting South Africans for a two test series early in 2010, the Chennai born middle order batsman Subramanium Badrinath gave a good account of himself by scoring a patient 56 off 139 balls against the marauding pace of Steyn and Morkel. The self professed disciple of Mike Hussey though played just one more test in the same series in the famed Eden Gardens before he was dropped from the Indian test squad. Badri as he is fondly called scored 63 runs from the 3 innings he batted for India with one fifty to his kitty.

Naman Ojha – Wicket-keeper batsman – 1 test match for India

Naman Ojha was one of the many wicket keeper batsmen who were eyeing the Indian berth at the height of Dhoni and Saha era. If Dhoni was the stand out ever constant in the white ball format, Wriddhiman Saha was indispensible when he was fit in the test format. The 2015 tour of Sri Lanka saw the Madhya Pradesh wicket keeper get a chance in the third test at the famed SSC ground of Colombo. Ojha scored a total of 56 runs with the bat and had 5 dismissals to his name. He was part of the team which for the first time had won a series in Sri Lanka for over two decades.

Abhinav Mukund – Left-handed opening batsman- 7 test matches for India

When he made his name in the Ranji format, Mukund was being spoken about as the next best opening batsman with the potential to play for India. He was pushed into test cricket way too early and pushed out way too soon. Mukund played his first test as a 21 year old on tough tours to West Indies and England. He then had to wait six years to play another test and his last test innings he scored a brisk 81 runs off 116 balls which is his highest test score. In all Abhinav Mukund has played 7 tests for India and scored 320 runs with 2 fifties with an average of 22.8

Vinay Kumar – Medium fast bowler – One test match for India

In the early part of the last decade Vinay Kumar was a name that was a constant in the white ball format of the game. The Karnataka born bowler who could bowl at a decent speed and keep a restrictive line and length was given his test cap in the famous for all the wrong reasons tour of Australia the end of 2011 and start of 2012. Vinay Kumar made his debut in the famous W A C A stadium at Perth and he was taken to the cleaners by David Warner. Kumar who scored a total of 11 with the bat bowled 13 overs for 73 runs and picked the prized wicket of Michael Hussey, he never got to bowl again for India in test matches as the Indian lost by an innings and he was never picked for test cricket again.

Abhimanyu Mithun – Right arm medium pace bowler – 4 test matches for India

When Mithun made his name as a fine bowler in the Ranji trophy after being one of the star performers for the Karnataka side, he was instantly being spoken about as an India prospect. His good build and bustling run up made him an ideal bowler, but when he played test matches for India he had lost most of his pace and had become a medium pace bowler at best. Yet he played four test matches for India, making his debut in the away tour of Sri Lanka in 2010 before playing his final test match at Barbados in 2011. In the four matches he played for the Indian team Mithun picked 9 wickets with a best of 4 for 105 which came in his debut innings. He got the wickets of Dilshan and Samaraweera in the first innings and scored a total of 33 runs with the bat.   

Karn Sharma – Leg Spinner – One Test match for India

Karn Sharma made his debut for India at the age of 27 in the first test match at Adelaide in a game played just a few days after the unfortunate demise of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes. The Leg spinner in his first innings was carted around for 143 runs off his 33 overs but got the wickets of centurions David Warner and Michael Clarke. In the second innings he was again smacked for 95 runs off his 16 overs but he again had Warner and Rogers to his kitty. With the bat Sharma scored a total of 8 runs with 4 runs in each innings and curiously finished with 4 wickets to his test career. His test career was short, crisp and confusing in many ways as he was picked in the test side and considered a pick out of the blue.