The curious case of Abhishek Nayar

Unfortunately for him,there’s no immediate guarantee of a Team India return either. With Sachin Tendulkar,Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid all set to return to the fold,the wait on the sidelines could be a long one. But Nayar isn’t perturbed.

“I think I am the only one at least in this category,” Nayar told The Indian Express. “It’s strange that I didn’t get to bat or bowl in the two matches I played but I learnt a lot in the dressing room. And,let’s not forget,nobody can take away the fact that I have represented India. I am better off than many players who didn’t get to play at all,and at the same time,I am confident that I will get an opportunity to show my skills in the future and register some good numbers against my name.”

While Nayar is in a league of his own as far as this strange statistic goes,the list of players to have made the Indian squad but not the playing XI is much longer. RB Nimbalkar,MS Ranvirsinghji,SN Mohal,R Jeejeebhoy,Gopal Bose,Devaraj Govindaraj,Padmakar Shivalkar,Yogendra Chowdhury,PC Poddhar,Rajinder Goel,Rajinder Singh Hans,Sunil Valson,KP Bhaskar,SS Paul,Gagandeep Singh,Rajesh Powar,Ranadeb Bose and Pankaj Singh form a strong squad who,unfortunately,never walked on to the field as India players despite being called into either the Test or ODI squads. And then there’s the strange case of Connor Williams,whose only Test appearance for India was derecognised by the ICC after the Mike Denness fiasco in South Africa.

Left-arm pacer Sunil Valson has won a World Cup,but didn’t play for India. Part of Kapil Dev’s 1983 World Cup winning bench,Valson says there are two sides to the emotions involved. “When I look back now at my career,definitely I would have wanted some things to happen differently. Not getting a game will remain one of the biggest regrets but in my case,every match we were playing crucial and there was no scope of chopping or changing. I felt proud that I made it to the best 14 in the country,not many people can reach that stage,” he says.

Point out Nayar’s case to him and he empathises. “I think he’s slightly better off because he’s at least represented India. Having said that,I hope he gets another chance. He’s young,and with India playing so many matches,I hope he’s ready when an opportunity comes his way.”

Left-arm spinner Rajinder Goel,India’s highest wicket-taker in domestic cricket,also hopes Nayar gets a second chance. “Nobody even knows that we made it to the squad,we will always be billed as the unlucky people who missed the cut. It’s the most cruel thing to happen to any cricketer.”

Nayar,meanwhile,says the wait for his first call-up was more unnerving than the present situation. “I was definitely more nervous waiting for my first call. This situation I can live with. I’m confident of getting a second shot soon.”