5 Indian players who faded away

Cricket loves comebacks, but it also has a long list of near-misses. Several players have shown real talent on the big stage and then quietly slipped out of international view. Some of these cricket players possess incredible talent and have experienced early success, but they are unable to maintain their position in the squad for various reasons, such as injury, a decline in form, or off-field issues. Here are five Indian cricketers who, for different reasons, “faded away” from international cricket.

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1. Unmukt Chand

Unmukt Chand captained India’s U-19 World Cup-winning side in 2012 and was anointed as a future international star after that unbeaten 111 in the final. Yet, the call from the senior team never arrived. 

Chand struggled to turn domestic promise into national selection, and in 2021 stunned many by announcing his retirement from Indian cricket and a move to the United States to chase opportunities in Major League Cricket. His story is a reminder that early laurels don’t guarantee a long India career, with opportunity, timing and form mattering a lot.

2. Joginder Sharma

Joginder Sharma arguably had the shortest yet loudest career in international cricket. He has been remembered for his heroics in the final overs against Pakistan during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Before his final over from the 2007 World Cup, which India won, almost nobody recognised him.

The right-arm medium-fast bowler made his IPL debut in 2004 and played a few games with the Chennai Super Kings until 2011. Sharma has only represented India in four ODIs and four T20Is. He hasn't participated in any IPL or international matches since suffering a terrible vehicle accident in 2011. On February 3, 2023, he declared his retirement from cricket. At the moment, he works for the Haryana Police as a Deputy Superintendent.

3. Praveen Kumar 

Praveen Kumar arrived with genuine menace as he moved the ball both ways, won matches in 2008–11 and earned a World Cup call. But constant injuries, workload issues and mental-health struggles disrupted his rhythm. By 2012, he had effectively lost his place, and occasional IPL stints followed, but the international career never resumed. 

Praveen’s decline is a cautionary tale about how workload, fitness and off-field wellbeing determine whether raw talent survives the grind of international cricket.

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4. S Sreesanth 

Sreesanth had the aggression and skill to trouble top batters and played key roles in India’s white-ball setups. But the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal marked a hard time in his life. He was banned by the BCCI and then embroiled in a long legal process. 

While courts later discharged some charges and bans were revisited, those years out of the game, plus the reputational damage, meant his international career never recovered. Sreesanth’s fade wasn’t just about form, but it’s about how off-field events can truncate a sporting life.

5. Vinod Kambli

Vinod Kambli’s early Test numbers read like a dream with multiple double centuries, an astonishing average and the sort of flair that made people talk about a long partnership with Sachin Tendulkar at the heart of India’s batting. 

Yet Kambli’s international career ended in his mid-20s. Despite obvious ability, he slipped from the Test XI and later played only sporadically in the ODIs. His decline has often been attributed to attitude, off-field distractions and a failure to adapt, which is a reminder that prodigious talent still needs professional behaviour and performance to last.

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