The year 2023 ended with a little disappointment for the Indian cricket fans as India lost the finals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 despite playing terrific cricket and remaining unbeatable till the finals. Some Indian cricketers also had a bad 2023 as they were either dropped from the team or they played very few matches.
Here in this article, we will let you know about those Indian cricketers whose career took a bad turn in the year 2023:
1. Ajinkya Rahane:
The senior cricketer was an integral part of the Indian team for many years, especially in the red ball format as he was considered a test specialist batter. He even captained the team in Virat Kohli’s absence and it was under his leadership that India bounced back and defeated Australia in a test series in their home. Ajinkya managed to make a comeback in the WTC final 2023 which India lost but after that, he wasn’t picked in the team.
2. Cheteshwar Pujara:
The senior cricketer who is known as a test specialist batter last played for the country in the WTC finals and there are almost nil chances that he may be called by the selectors.
3. Yuzvendra Chahal:
The famous Indian spinner who is also known for his funny videos other than his cricketing skills was the most successful T20 bowler of the Indian team but the year 2023 was disappointing for him as he wasn’t included in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 2023. Despite being the most successful T20 bowler of the country, he played only 9 matches last year.
4. Shikhar Dhawan:
Shikhar Dhawan aka Gabbar is certainly one of the best batters who have played for the country and his batting pair with Rohit Sharma is also one of the best opening pairs of India. Though he led the Indian team in multiple series in the year 2022 yet in 2023, the team management shocked everyone by dropping him from all the formats of the game.
5. Deepak Hooda:
Deepak Hooda impressed everyone with his cricketing skills to the extent that he was also included in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad but in 2023, he played only 6 matches and the last one that he played was in Feb 2023.
6. Harshal Patel:
Harshal Patel was a regular player of India’s T20 squad till 2022 but in 2023, he played only one game for the country.
7. Venkatesh Iyer:
The all-rounder cricketer who was touted as the replacement of Hardik Pandya played well initially and in 2022, he played 8 matches for the country. However, in 2023, he didn’t even play a single international match.
8. Umran Malik:
The young pace sensation created ripples in the cricket world with his fiery spells in the IPL and soon after that, he was included in the Indian team and he performed well initially. However later on, he struggled due to his line and length and in 2023, he played only 10 games. As of now, he doesn’t seem to fit in the plans of the selectors and he will need to make a statement in the IPL 2024 if he wants to get a place in the Indian squad for theT20 World Cup 2024.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
One of finest pacers that India has produced didn’t get a single chance to play for the country in 2023 despite being the highest Indian wicket-taker in T20I format. The emergence of Mohammad Siraj, Umran Malik along with Arshdeep Singh may have reduced his chances to play for the country but he can also prove his candidature by performing well in the upcoming IPL 2024.
If you feel that we have missed any cricketer, do let us know.