The late Nineties and early 2000s had been an attention-grabbing time in Indian cricket. A number of gamers broke into the Indian staff for a short interval, solely to by no means be seen once more. Some realised they weren’t minimize out for that stage of competitors, whereas others lingered on till they had been finally dropped. Dodda Ganesh, Sujith Somadundar, Jacob Martin, Ashish Kapoor, Harvinder Singh, Rajesh Chauhan, Abey Kuruvilla, SS Das, Sameer Dighe, Reetinder Sodhi, Hemang Badani and Ajay Ratra are among the many names that come to thoughts. Then once more, there have been others who by no means obtained their India caps regardless of brimming with expertise.
Amol Muzumdar and Ranadeb Bose are arguably the 2 unluckiest cricketers to have by no means performed for India. One scored over 10,000 first-class runs, the opposite picked up greater than 450 wickets. But, neither represented the nationwide staff. After which there have been those that went out as shortly as they got here by the ranks. Nonetheless, in between these two classes was a bracket of what-ifs – gamers whose careers promised a lot extra. Gamers who didn’t put a foot incorrect. Gamers who performed a 50-over World Cup however had been dropped by no fault of their very own.
Additionally Learn: His action became a World Cup symbol; he took 10 wickets in an innings, yet his Test career ended after two games
He was a part of India’s iconic 2001 Take a look at collection win in opposition to Australia, although few discuss him. He scored 323 runs in his first three Assessments and averaged 53.83 after six, with scores of 43, 5, 60, 96, 79 and 40. What takes the cake is that he achieved these numbers as an opener, although opening wasn’t his forte. He started as a middle-order batter, was gambled as an opener and excelled within the function in opposition to the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, whose reverse swing was a supply of terror again within the day, particularly on subcontinental pitches. But, he performed them with out breaking a sweat.
That, of us, is Sadagoppan Ramesh for you.
Ramesh’s dream begin
Ramesh was backed by Kris Srikkanth, who, throughout his stint as coach of the India A staff, oversaw the left-hander’s progress and pitched his identify to the selectors after a fantastic run of scores. His Take a look at debut was anticipated to happen in opposition to Pakistan in Delhi, however intruders dug up the floor within the aftermath of the feelings surrounding the Kargil Warfare. Therefore, the venue for the second Take a look at was shifted, and Ramesh obtained to bat in his hometown of Chennai, the place he scored 43 and 5. On the Feroz Shah Kotla, Ramesh might have been Participant of the Match for India after scoring 60 and 96, however his efficiency was overshadowed by Anil Kumble’s good 10. Ramesh’s dream run in opposition to Pakistan continued within the Eden Gardens Take a look at, the place he scored 79 and 40. So good was Ramesh that Mohammad Azharuddin hugged him and stated, “I’ve by no means seen any teenager or anyone bat in opposition to Wasim like this.”
Runs got here thick and quick in opposition to New Zealand at house, the place Ramesh produced 287 runs from three Assessments, with 100 and two fifties at a mean of 47. He missed one match of the 1999 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, however throughout the return tour, Ramesh scored a gritty 61 in Chennai and, together with SS Das, offered India with an honest begin within the Kolkata Take a look at. Even when India toured Sri Lanka a few months later, Ramesh was among the many runs, scoring 223 runs from three Assessments, with scores of 42, 47, 31, 46 and 55. However as stunning as it might sound, that was the final collection Ramesh featured in for India.
When issues started to crumble brick by brick
Ramesh was named in India’s Take a look at squad for the well-known 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, however didn’t function in a single sport, with Sourav Ganguly choosing the recent pair of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Ramesh had expressed his shock at being benched all through the collection regardless of doing effectively in a follow match in opposition to Victoria
“Sachin Tendulkar and I had an excellent partnership in that match. We misplaced Dravid, Sehwag, Aakash Chopra and Ganguly. We went on to a 180 or 200-run partnership [128 runs]. Even within the second innings, I obtained some forty-something,” Ramesh recalled.
“Within the subsequent facet sport, I used to be pushed to No. 8. So the place is the query of me going to play the Take a look at matches? There was no purpose given. Perhaps they needed to strive the Sehwag and Aakash Chopra opening mixture for your entire Take a look at collection.”
India’s subsequent collection after drawing the BGT Down Beneath was going to be the historic Take a look at tour of Pakistan – their first in 15 years. And contemplating Ramesh’s success in opposition to them the final time round, he ought to have been an automated decide. Therefore, he put within the laborious work and went again to the home grind. Ramesh scored 97 and 42 within the Deodhar Trophy and adopted it with a 57 in a Duleep Trophy sport. However the administration appeared to have moved on from him. When the squad was introduced, Ramesh’s identify was lacking, with Ganguly after which coach John Wright preferring Yuvraj Singh because the third opener.
Ramesh’s ODI profession lasted all of 187 days
Ramesh made his ODI debut in opposition to Sri Lanka on March 30, 1999, and his remaining sport within the format got here in opposition to South Africa on October 3, 1999. That’s his whole 24-match ODI profession squeezed into 187 days. He by no means performed one other ODI after 1999. In between, he went to the 1999 World Cup in England, simply months after making his worldwide debut. He performed 5 matches and scored 144 runs at 28.80, with a better of 55 in opposition to Zimbabwe.
