97 players have represented India in T20Is till date, 14 of them featured in just one game.
Home to the richest and most popular T20 league in the world – the Indian Premier League (IPL) – India have produced quality T20 players over the years, and the best of the lot have sizzled on the international stage.
A total of 97 players have represented India in T20Is till date, and 14 of them didn’t get to play after their debut. One of them was of course Rahul Dravid, the former India captain, who scored 31 off 21 in his lone T20I against England in Manchester in 2011, famously striking three straight sixes off Samit Patel.
Here’s a look at three players you’d be surprised to know played in T20Is for India
T20 record: 142 matches, 2300 runs at 28.75, SR: 112.74, 50s: 13, HS: 71*
Lone T20I: vs West Indies, Port of Spain – June 04, 2011
A top-red ball cricketer with over 10,000 first-class runs at 54.49, Subramanium Badrinath was a valuable asset in T20s too, and was a key member for the Chennai Super Kings during the first six editions of the IPL. He aggregated 356 and 396 in CSK’s winning campaigns in 2010 and 2011 respectively, with seven 50-plus scores across the two editions.
He played his lone T20I on the West Indies tour in 2011, and top scored with 43 off 37 in a 16-run win, never to play for India in the format again. His last IPL game was the 2013 final against the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens.
T20 record: 84 matches, 103 wickets at 21.77, Eco: 7.85, BBI: 4/14
Lone T20I: vs South Africa at Dharamsala – October 02, 2015
Sreenath Aravind, the left-arm seamer from Karnataka, played 38 matches across five editions of the IPL – all for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He bagged 21 and 11 wickets during the team’s run to the final in 2011 and 2016 respectively.
He was rewarded with a T20I cap in the first of three T20Is against South Africa in Dharamsala in 2015, and returned 1/44 from his 3.4 overs, as JP Duminy plundered unbeaten 68 off 34 to help Proteas chase down India’s 199/6.
Chris Gayle and Sreenath Aravind gave incredible performances on the 6️⃣th of May, 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ & 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣, guiding RCB to memorable wins against the same team! 😎
Can you tell us who the opponents were? 🧐#PlayBold pic.twitter.com/6iLR6Mdeq2
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) June 11, 2020
T20 record: 32 matches, 633 runs at 21.10, SR: 113.64, 50s: 1, HS: 50
Lone T20I: vs South Africa, Johannesburg 2006/07
Dinesh Mongia was a regular in India’s ODI setup in early 2000s, and was a part of their 2002 Natwest Series triumph in England and their run to the final at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. He was India’s T20I cap no. 6, playing in their first ever game in the format against the Proteas at the Wanderers on the 2006 tour. Mongia top-scored with 38 off 45 in India’s successful run-chase of 127 – their only white-ball win of the tour, with them being comprehensively beaten 4-0 in a five-match ODI series.
