5 Unluckiest Test Cricketers to Debut Under Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is considered one of the best captains in Indian cricket history when someone looks at the red-ball format. The change he brought was tremendous from 2015 to 2021. One of the finest captains who won the ICC Test Mace 5 times in a row, during his tenure India won the away Border-Gavaskar Trophy series twice in a row, with his aggressive attitude he completely changed the mindset of the setup and made it undefeatable.

Several players debuted under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, some went on to become one of the finest in the cricket world whereas some faded away into oblivion after a promising start. Many of them had the potential to succeed at the highest level, but many factors contributed to their exclusion, and it is known that there was no sufficient backup from the captain and selectors.

Let’s look at the players who didn’t receive much support in Test cricket under Virat Kohli’s captaincy:

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal made his debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018 at Melbourne Cricket Ground. He had a promising start to his career after scoring 76, 42, and 77 runs in his first 3 test innings. Coming back from a great domestic season, Mayank continued his great form in the test season, and for once it looked like solidifying his place as a permanent opener with the knock of two 200s and a century within just 5 innings.

However, things took a downturn when he averaged just 26 in his last 23 test innings including only one century at Wankhede against New Zealand. With exciting youngsters on the line, he immediately got sidelined. Since his exclusion, he worked enough in the domestic circuit but did not get the backing.

His career average of 41.33 and nearly 1500 runs in 21 tests couldn’t find him as a regular member of the team. Constant failure in the overseas conditions led to his exclusion from the team. Since 2022, Mayank has not been considering the team’s idea.

Hardik Pandya

One of the finest all-rounders in the cricket world currently. Hardik Pandya didn’t have a glorious test career that he would have liked to have. Pandya rose to the scene as a hard-hitting finisher in the shorter format of the game. But his all-round ability led him to debut in the test format against Sri Lanka in 2017, his couple of crucial knocks in SENA and Sri Lankan knocks showed his true potential as a batter in the lower middle-order.

As injuries shortened his career within one year of his debut. After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018, Hardik Pandya hasn’t been out of the test squad, and it looked like a cumulative decision by the coach, captain, and management. Many other players were given an opportunity in Pandya’s absence but, there has not been a single hint of his return in the red-ball format of the game.

His test career stands at 532 runs in 11 matches at an average of 31.29. He has 17 scalps to his name in bowling at an average of 31.06 and a strike rate of 55.12. Pandya also had a 100 in his name and a 5-wicket haul in the short span of his test career. If he had more support, he could have had an impactful test career for India in the test format.

Prithvi Shaw

Rated highly by the cricket experts, Prithvi Shaw had a glorious start to his career. Shaw successfully became one of the few players to score a century in their test debut. In 2018, he made a magnificent ton against West Indies. Later, his technical flaws were exposed and exploited during the Australia tour in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Prithvi Shaw just played 5 tests for India, scoring 339 runs at an average of 42.38.

Not primarily but his fitness and disciplinary concerns could also be the reasons which led to his downfall. His comeback looks a bit difficult, especially in the test format. But nothing can be surely said, Prithvi Shaw is still very young and can make a comeback with incredible performances in the domestic and IPL.

Hanuma Vihari

Coming from Andhra Pradesh, and making his debut against England at the Oval in 2018, Hanuma Vihari showed a glimpse of being a regular team member. Not a single Indian fan can forget his incredible resilience against Australia in Sydney in 2020, One of the few players who held India’s defense against the Australian fiery bowling lineup in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21.

Along with an injury, Hamuna Vihari stood strong to play a total of 161 deliveries and scored just 23 runs to save the match to restrict the Australians from a lead from a 1-1 tie. Vihari and Ashwin together added just 62 runs in 259 deliveries, just to save the match.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get enough opportunity after that series to show his potential. He last played against England in July 2022, the re-scheduled 5th test match. In 23 innings of 16 test matches, Vihari scored 839 runs at an average of 33.56 including a 100, and also took 5 wickets.

Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav had a short but impactful career. He was more than a handy batsman. Jayant scored 248 runs in 6 matches at an average of 31. He scored 1 century and 1 half-century. As a number 9 batsman, he was more impactful than any others in the same position. The off-spinner also picked 16 wickets at an average of 29.06. He did extremely well as a backup spinner.

Constant injuries, decent performances, and Ashwin coming back into the setup made it impossible for Jayant to be a regular member of the squad. He last played against Sri Lanka in 2022.

These players, if given regular chances, could have done well. Unfortunately, fate had some other plans for them. Some still have the chance to redeem themselves. The chances for other players look bleak. But as they say, never say never in cricket.