10 Deserving Players Who Never Played Test Cricket For India

The Greatest Indian Test Team That Never Was

Given India's immense talent pool, numerous exceptional domestic cricketers unfortunately never earned a Test cap, despite their dominance. Notable figures such as Rajinder Goel, Amol Muzumdar, Jalaj Saxena, and Mithun Manhas all established strong, undeniable claims for an opportunity to represent the national Test team.

Parvez Rasool

One of the very few players to have emerged out of Kashmir, Parvez Rasool had strong first-class credentials, including 4,588 first-class runs and 255 wickets, but could never make his Test debut. His closest chance came during a 2017 home series against Bangladesh, where he was part of the squad but remained on the bench.

Faiz Fazal

Vidarbha icon Faiz Fazal is an example of a prolific domestic opener who deserved a Test opportunity, given his first-class record of over 9,000 runs at an average 42, including 24 hundreds. His came close after leading Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy title in 2016, while his sole India cap arrived in 2016 in an ODI against Zimbabwe.

Paras Dogra

Paras Dogra is one of the most prolific middle-order batsmen in Ranji Trophy history, who never earned a Test cap despite his consistent excellence in first-class cricket. A pillar for Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry, he amassed close to 9,000 first-class runs at an exceptional average of 48.24, including 29 centuries.

Pandurang Salgaonkar

Pandurang Salgaoncar, often described as the fastest bowler in India during the 1970s, never earned a Test cap. Playing for Maharashtra, he took 214 first-class wickets at an average of 26.70 in 63 matches, with his closest chance to represent India coming in 1974, when he was selected for an unofficial Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Amarjit Kaypee

Amarjit Kaypee never received an India Test call-up, despite once holding the record for the most runs scored in the Ranji Trophy with 7,623 runs for over nearly two decades. His closest chance came after a monumental 1990-91 domestic season, when he scored 940 runs and captained Haryana to their maiden Ranji Trophy title.

Padmakar Shivalkar

Padmakar Shivalkar was one of the unluckiest players to have never played Test cricket for India, despite his staggering first-class record of 589 wickets in 124 matches at a brilliant average of 19.69. His greatest hurdle was the fact that his career perfectly coincided with that of the legendary Indian spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi.

Jalaj Saxena

Jalaj Saxena is one of the most decorated domestic players of the modern era who never received a Test cap, despite his consistency as a genuine all-rounder. His first-class career has seen him accumulate over 6,500 runs and take more than 400 wickets, making him one of the few Ranji players to achieve the historic double.

Mithun Manhas

Soon-to-be BCCI president, Mithun Manhas never earned a Test cap, despite his crucial role in Delhi's success in the 2000s. A consistent run-scorer, he amassed over 8,500 first-class runs at an average of 45.82, often proving his mettle in pressure situations, including an impressive 195-run innings in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy Final.

Amol Muzumdar

Current India Women head coach Amol Muzumder remained unlucky as a player, as he never received a Test cap, despite being one of the most prolific run-scorers in first-class history. He accumulated over 11,000 runs for Mumbai, but Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli's emergence effectively blocked his path to the national team.

Rajinder Goyal

Rajinder Goel is the definitive hard-luck story of Indian cricket, as he never received a Test call up, despite being the all-time Ranji Trophy wicket-taker with 637 scalps. His closest chance came during the 1974-75 home series against the West Indies, where he was controversially excluded from the playing XI, despite Bishan Singh Bedi's absence.