5 Indian players who received call-ups, but didn't make it to the XI

Cricket is a game of fine margins. For each player who steps out onto the pitch with India's blue cap on his head, others come agonizingly close to getting a national call-up only to see their opportunity slip away.

These are tales which have a commonality: in a land so full of ability, even getting a place in the squad is not guaranteed. Established teams, conditions and timing can all combine to leave you on the sidelines. For most players, the national call‑up is the dream and yet somehow the culmination of their international ambitions. Their stories remind us that in Indian cricket, the last step into those eleven jerseys can sometimes prove the most difficult of all.

Here are five home stars whose names were in the squad but whose careers never reached that ultimate milestone of the playing XI.

1. Abhimanyu Easwaran

A stalwart of Bengal's batting for almost a decade, Easwaran accumulated more than 7,000 first-class runs at an average well above 45. His reliability got him an India Test team place in the five-match series against England in mid-2025, alongside being one of the handful of uncapped individuals in that 18-member team.

But in all four Tests played till now, from Leeds to Old Trafford, he stayed on the bench. His chances of being a part of the last and the fifth test are also slim. India's established opening pair and ruthless English seaming conditions kept him waiting for a chance that did not arise.

2. Priyank Panchal

Priyank Panchal's Ranji Trophy statistics need no elaboration: almost 9,000 runs, 29 centuries and a triple hundred included. He was called up for two Tests towards the end of 2021 and early 2022, initially as a standby for the England tour, then as the injury cover for Rohit Sharma against South Africa, and subsequently in the Sri Lanka Tests.

But selectors remained loyal to their incumbents each time XI was announced. Though on the threshold, Panchal never got a chance to wear the Indian cap. Later, he announced his retirement from all cricket. 

3. Dheeraj Jadhav

In 2004, Maharashtra's Dheeraj Jadhav scored 1,066 Ranji runs at a 50-plus average. Statistics that should have compelled selectors to include him against Australia in India's fourth Test at Ahmedabad.

But on match day, Gautam Gambhir was the one who took to the field first. Jadhav came back to domestic cricket with 7,679 first-class runs under his belt, but never once regained the selectors' attention. His only call-up is a painful afterthought in his richly rewarding career.

4. Ranadeb Bose

Ranadeb Bose cut through Ranji line‑ups in 2006–07, taking 57 wickets in eight games at a strike rate below 40. That spree got him on India's tour of England in 2007, but with Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and Sreesanth picked before him, he never got to bowl an over. 

In 91 first‑class matches over nearly nine years, he ended up with 317 wickets, but international cricket never beckoned him again.

5. Ishwar Pandey

Off a 48‑wicket Ranji season in 2012–13, Ishwar Pandey earned India's team for the 2014 tour of New Zealand, Tests and ODIs as well. Though showing promise of swing and bounce in the domestic setup, he didn't turn out to play a game.

While others hogged the limelight, Pandey fell through the ranks and, at 35, he is still not capped despite consistently excelling in India. He also got to feature in a couple of seasons with CSK, but after 2015, an IPL contract was not even extended to him.

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