The fight for a spot on the Indian cricket team is very tough. Each year, many new players start playing for the team, but only a few get to keep playing regularly. There are so many talented players in Indian cricket that it’s almost impossible for the people in charge to give everyone an equal chance. This happened with Gyanendra Pandey, a former all-rounder for India, who only played in two one-day international matches before he was no longer part of the team.
Pandey first played for India against Pakistan in 1999 and only got to play one more game before he was taken out of the team.
The all-rounder got noticed by the people who choose the team after taking 254 wickets in 199 games of First-Class and List A cricket. In 97 Ranji Trophy matches, Pandey scored 4425 runs and took 148 wickets, showing he was a valuable all-rounder and earning a spot in the 1999 Pepsi Cup tri-series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“In 1997, I did really well. In the final of the Duleep Trophy, I made 44 runs and took three wickets. I had a great time in the Deodhar Trophy. The North Zone had players like Vikram Rathour, Virender Sehwag, and Navjot Sidhu. I took five wickets and scored 23 runs without getting out. Against the West Zone, I made 89 runs not out and took 2-3 wickets against the East Zone. Against the South Zone, I scored 28 or 30 runs not out and took 2-3 wickets,” Pandey said in an interview with The Lallantop.
“In the Challenger Trophy, I got Robin Singh and Amay Khurasiya out. For India A, I took two wickets for 26 runs and then I was picked for the Indian team. That happened in 1999.”
Pandey had the chance to be around famous cricketers like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Virender Sehwag in the locker room, but his situation quickly worsened.
Pandey might have had another chance to play for India in the 1999 Test series against New Zealand, but Jaywant Lele, who was the BCCI secretary at the time, apparently didn’t agree with his selection.
The anchor mentioned that Lele said, “If Kumble needs a break, why not choose Sunil Joshi instead?”
Pandey was overlooked, and he never got another chance to be considered again.
Pandey mentioned, “Mr. Lele should have thought more about what he said. He should have looked at my performance. He was also an umpire. I understand; it was my mistake. I didn’t know the tricks; I didn’t understand how these things work. I couldn’t handle it, and that’s why I got a bad reputation. The media also didn’t print my side of the story. No one came to ask me anything. They only talked to the important people.”
The former Indian cricketer now works as a PR agent for the State Bank of India.
