5 Indian cricketers whose careers were derailed by one bad series

In the high-pressure world of Indian cricket, a single series may frequently make or break a career. While talent and promise are important, consistency and timing are also critical to a player's success at the highest level. For some, a single poor performance—whether owing to form, pressure, injury, or difficult conditions—has been costly.

With tight competition, limited opportunities, and more public scrutiny, a single decline in performance has resulted in abrupt exclusions. Unfortunately, others never had a second opportunity, and their promising careers were stopped or permanently wrecked despite early signs of aptitude and talent.

Here are the 5 Indian cricketers whose careers were derailed by one bad series:

1. Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw was hailed as India's next major batting sensation after making a splash in 2018 with a century in his Test debut. But he had a terrible time in the 2020–21 Test series in Australia, scoring only 0 and 4 in the opening Test at Adelaide. It was sufficient to halt his burgeoning career in Indiana.

His technical shortcomings were made clear, especially when it came to pace and mobility. Shaw was dropped by India almost right away, and despite his impressive domestic cricket exploits, he hasn't been able to return to the Test team due to issues with his attitude and fitness.

2. Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay was an important player abroad, particularly in England and Australia, and was a dependable opener for India in Test matches. However, he produced scores of 20, 6, 0, and 0 in the first two tests in the 2018 England Test series, which caused his form to plummet. For the next tour, he was kept in Australia, but he only scored 49 runs in 4 innings.

The selectors dropped him in the middle of the series because of his uneven returns and emerging youthful talent. Despite his experience, Vijay was unable to make a return, and his international career was essentially finished by his subpar performances on the England and Australia tours.

3. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid had an excellent career for India with over 13,000 runs in more than 160 Tests with 36 centuries. His exploits against Australia were known, be it his gritty 180 in Kolkata in 2001 or his 233* in Adelaide in 2003; Dravid was always a thorn in Australia’s neck. However, come 2011, Dravid’s international career started to wind down.

He had been the star of the disastrous England tour earlier in the year, with 461 runs and 3 centuries in 4 tests. By then, he had retired from ODIs and T20Is, and the next big tour for Dravid came in Australia later the same year. This tour proved to be the final nail in his Test career. Dravid managed just 194 runs in 8 innings with one fifty to his name and announced his retirement on return to India.

4. Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu had an excellent 2018 in ODIs for India with 392 runs in 11 ODIs with one ton and 3 fifties at an average of 56 and a strike rate of 90.74. He looked set for India’s squad for the 2019 World Cup and was called India’s first choice for the No. 4 spot by captain Virat Kohli. However, one poor series at home just before the World Cup ended his dreams.

Rayudu had done well at the start of 2019, scoring 190 runs in New Zealand with a best score of 90. He looked good and cemented his place in India at no. 4. Then India played Australia just before the World Cup, and Rayudu failed to go big, scoring 33 runs in 3 games. That was it for his World Cup dreams, as Vijay Shankar was chosen for his ‘3D’ capabilities. Rayudu didn’t play for India again.

5. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly’s comeback to the Indian team in 2007 was a dream. After being dropped from the team in 2005 for poor batting, it seemed like Ganguly’s India career was over. He was India’s highest run-getter across formats in 2007—2226 runs in 47 innings at an average of 50.59 with 15 50s and three hundreds. However, 2008 proved to be his final year in international cricket. Ganguly had one bad series in Sri Lanka where he made 96 runs in 3 Tests and was dropped from the team once again.

Then, he was again included in the Indian squad for the 4-Test Australia series, and he announced his retirement from cricket before the series. He was told either to keep fighting for his spot on the Indian team or retire with grace, and he did so after the Australia Tests.

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