IND vs ZIM: 4 cricketers whose career ended in Zimbabwe
A tour in the African hinterland never helped Indian cricketers in the long run.
Mumbai: A tour of Zimbabwe — since the retirement of greats like Heath Streak and Andy Flower — never had the same impact. The one-time sleek bunch was changed into school boys donning the red jersey and hence, Indian cricketers pitted against them couldn’t gain a foothold in international cricket following a series in the African hinterland.
These are four cricketers whose limited-overs career didn’t escalate after playing against Zimbabwe.
Naman Ojha: The Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper’s last match in the limited-overs format came in 2010, against Zimbabwe. He scored 10 off 18 balls. His Test debut came five years later, against Sri Lanka, after regular wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha’s injury.
Robin Uthappa: The right-handed batsman – a prolific run-getter for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL and Karnataka in Ranji Trophy – had a mirror-cracking entry into international cricket in 2006 but soon, he lost steam. A Zimbabwe tour last year further closed the inroads to the Indian team. He had scored 31 off 44 balls.
Manoj Tiwary: A stalwart in the Bengal team, his career – often marred by injuries – didn’t take off; it became even more idle after he went to Zimbabwe last year. He was out for 10.
Rahul Sanghvi: The slow left-arm bowler’s last ODI appearance came in Harare in 1998. India lost the match by 37 runs. He was expensive (0/47) in six overs and managed 8 runs off 19 balls with the bat when India needed to accelerate.