3 Cricketers Who Debuted For India Around Virat Kohli But Faded-Off

Saurabh Tiwary, Virat Kohli and Subhramaniam Badrinath [X]Saurabh Tiwary, Virat Kohli and Subhramaniam Badrinath [X]

Virat Kohli came into the limelight after the Indian team won the Under-19 World Cup under his leadership in 2008. The whole cricketing fraternity was impressed by the talent and potential he possessed. His batting style, technique and temperament impressed the Indian selectors so much that they called him up for the international duties in 2008. 

The modern master of cricket made his debut in the ODI format in 2008 against Sri Lanka. Around this time a few more Indian players also made their first appearence in the international scene. Virat Kohli has stood up to his potentials and has maximised it to become one of the brighest stars in the highest level of the game. However, there are a few players who did not deliver as much as they promised in the international arena. 

3. Subramaniam Badrinath

Once an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings, Subramaniam Badrinath was one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit. In 145 first class matches, Badrinath has scored 10, 245 runs at an average of 54.49. He was also a part of 144 and 142 List A and T20 games, in which he has scored 4,164 and 2,300 runs respectively. 

The most interesting fact was that he was not an one season wonder. He delivered for his domestic team consistently for two or three consecutive seasons. As a result, he was called up to play for India in 2008, in an ODI against Sri Lanka. Although, he had a lot of talent he failed to capitalise on it and gradually faded off from the Indian main scheme of things. 

2. Abhishek Nayar

Abhishek Nayar is currently acting as the Assistant Coach of India [X]Abhishek Nayar is currently acting as the Assistant Coach of India [X]

The current Indian assistant coach was one of the most promising all-rounders around the 2008-2010 period. Abhishek Nayar impressed the Indian cricketing fraternity with his all-round show in the domestic circuit. In the 103 First Class games that Nayar played, he scored 5,749 runs at an average of 45.62 and also picked up wickets at a bowling average of 31.47. If we take a look at his List A career, then in 99 games, he has scored 2,145 runs at an average of 31.08 and has also picked up wickets at a bowling average of 30.10. 

Besides his performance in the domestic circuit, Nayar also played a decent role in the IPL for the different teams he represented. His domestic shows impresses the selectors and he got a chance to play for India in 2009. However, his international career did not stretch past three ODIs and he slowly fell off contention of a place in the team. 

1.Saurabh Tiwary

The left handed middle-order batter from Jharkhand made it to the news around 2008-2009 because of the similarities he had with MS Dhoni. From his birth state, hairstyle to his batting approach everything resembled MSD so much that he was nicknamed 'the left-handed MS Dhoni'. Saurabh Tiwary did impiress with his battin abilities in the domestic arena and he also a utility batter in the lower middle-order in the IPL. 

The southpaw's consistent performances in the domestic arena earned him a a place in the Indian team in 2010. However, he failed to convert his potential in the international arena and was able to make only three ODI appearences.