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3 Indian players we remember for that one magical performance

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Jan 06, 2020 11:18 AM IST

There have been times when taking this one step from the domestic to the international stage becomes a steep one and players have struggled to find their feet at the highest level.

Indian cricket has never been short of talent and owing to the highly-competitive domestic structure, the players are ready to take up the challenge at a much bigger stage. However, there have been times when taking this one step from the domestic to the international stage becomes a steep one and players have struggled to find their feet at the highest level.

In this article, we take a look at three players who played the role of a match-winner in one match, but then fizzled out despite being given a long rope.

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Stuart Binny

If you bowl seam, and if you could bat Indian cricket always opens its door and hence, Stuart Binny was given a long rope to become the seam-bowling all-rounder in the side. However, despite being a prolific performer for Karnataka, Binny could never stamp his authority over the international circuit.

Before being sidelined, Binny produced one sparkling performance - this came against Bangladesh in a One Day International match.

A second-string India side was led by Suresh Raina and the much-vaunted Indian batting order was shot out for just 105 with Taskin Ahmed picking up five wickets. In reply, Bangladesh were going strong at 43-2 and this is when Raina tossed the ball to Binny.

The ripped through the Bangladesh batting line-up and picked up 6 wickets for just 4 runs. The hosts were sent packing for just 58 and Binny had created history by producing one of the best figures in ODI cricket.

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Hrishikesh Kanitkar

Another domestic veteran who could not quite make it at the international level. Kanitkar was a prolific run-scorer in India’s domestic set-up but struggled to get going for the Indian team. However, he will forever be remembered for his one knock against Pakistan in Dhaka back in 1998.

Chasing 314 for victory in 48 overs in the final clash, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Robin Singh put India in cruise control. However, Pakistan hit back and India collapsed. It was up to the tail to finish the match off. Saqlain Mushtaq was bowling the final over and this is when Kanitkar got down on one knee and smacked a four through mid-wicket to take India over the line.

Joginder Sharma

It was India vs Pakistan once again, it was a final once again and this time the stakes were even bigger. The two arch rivals locked horns at Johannesburg in the final of the inaugural World T20. India set Pakistan a target of 158. Led by Irfan Pathan, the bowlers did a commendable job in controlling Pakistan’s chase, but then, there was Misbah-ul-Haq who was standing tall.

13 runs were needed off the final over and MS Dhoni took a punt. He lobbed the ball to Joginder Sharma ahead of Harbhajan Singh. The first ball was a wide, the next one was smacked for a six. However, the Pakistan batsman then tried a delicate scoop to a full ball over short fine leg but was unable to execute it properly and was caught by S Sreesanth to spark wild celebrations.

However, Joginder could not be a regular member of India after this performance and was soon axed.

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