Six deserving, but underrated international cricketers of the past 20 years

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Rangana Herath

After Muralitharan’s retirement, Herath has become the mainstay in the spin department of the Sri Lankan team. Even at the age of 38, Herath is the biggest weapon for Sri Lanka, and as he showed in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka by taking 28 wickets in three Tests, he could have been one of the greats of the game if Muralitharan was not around.

Rahul Dravid, widely regarded as one of the greatest test batsmen of all time, has played 164 tests and 344 ODIs. His terrific performance with the bat in both the formats made him one of the best number three batsmen of his time. He single-handedly won many crucial tests matches for Team India and is remembered as the ‘Wall of Indian cricket’. Still, the story in the minds of many is not the same. It would not be wrong if we say that Sachin Tendulkar got all the respect and appreciation, of which some percentage should be deserved by ‘The Wall.’ Even Rahul Dravid once said in a funny way, “Fans wanted me to get out so that they can watch Sachin bat as he came at number 4.” He may not be compared to the God of Indian cricket, but his contribution towards Indian cricket is unforgettable.

The current Indian star may be giving his best in every match, yet he is considered as an underrated batsman in the team. With the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan in the side, this Mumbaikar, always stays beneath them. His batting position in ODIs as well as in Tests is not fixed yet, but he has shown his value to the teams many a times. Although he can be a perfect match winner for Team India, his name in the final eleven is still a matter of debate. Rahane has risen through and has become India’s Test vice-captain, but just like Dravid, this middle-order batsman has also remained in the underrated category.

Finn has been in the England side from 2010, impressing one and all with his bowling performances. In 35 Test matches that he played so far, he has taken 125 wickets with an economy of 3.54. Even after taking wickets at crucial stages, the England pacer, sometimes remain unnoticed because of the presence of Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the side. There is no doubt in his ability to become the frontline bowler of the side, but with Board and Anderson in the side, Finn is likely to remain on the sidelines in the near future.

We all know that he is very very special because of the god-gifted wrist. His innings of 281 against Australia in the epic match at Eden Gardens would remain as one of the best Test knocks ever played by an Indian batsman. Even the Australians, themselves, admitted that he was the tough one to get, if he batted for a few overs. His 8781 runs in Test cricket in 134 matches are enough to explain what kind of player he was. But, he remained under the shadows of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar through his cricketing career.