Five players who didn't get enough chances when Virat Kohli led India

When Virat Kohli became full-time Test captain in 2015, the team went through a change of mindset and personnel. The same happened when he became a regular ODI and T20I skipper, two years later. Talking about MS Dhoni's captaincy, he believed in giving players a longer run to showcase their ability. The same goes for the Chennai team in the Indian T20 League.

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On the other hand, Kohli believed in making playing XI according to the conditions. This is why there were a few players who didn't get enough chances under the Delhi player. Having said that, some of them didn't get enough chances under Dhoni either. In this listicle, we will discuss five players who didn't get enough chance under Virat Kohli's leadership in the Indian team.

Five players who didn't get enough chances

Pankaj Singh (Image Credit : Twitter)

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1. Pankaj Singh

The Rajasthan player made his Test debut against England in 2014. In the two Tests he played, he could take only one wicket. Also, his pace was somewhere around 130 kmph. At that time, Dhoni was in charge of the India team.

When the team went to Australia, Singh wasn't considered, thanks to his low pace. Also, when Virat Kohli became full-time Test skipper, he made a point of having genuine pacers. Players such as Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma made it difficult for Pankaj to stay in the selection hunt. 

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Abhinav Mukund (Image Credit : Twitter)

2. Abhinav Mukund

The 2008 U-19 World Cup winner played only 7 Tests from 2011 to 2017. He only got chances when first-choice Test opening batters weren't available. After the England tour in 2011, he wasn't considered as a reserve opener. He went back to represent India A and scored loads of runs.

He was recalled ahead of the one-off Test against Bangladesh but had to wait for the Australia series to play. The left-hander couldn't make any impact and made way for the likes of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay. Since then, he hasn't played any international game for India. 

Manoj Tiwari (Image Credit : Twitter)

3. Manoj Tiwari

The Bengal player didn't get enough chances either under MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli. They can't be blamed though. String of injuries and ill-fated games have led him to get only a few chances. In 2008, he got a chance to make his international debut but was jetlagged, which is why he couldn't make any impact.

Three years later, an opportunity came to play in the home series against England and followed by West Indies later on. However, he was benched in Australia as his game was weak against the short-pitched deliveries. After that, he did play against Sri Lanka in 2012 but got another opportunity against Zimbabwe in 2015. 

Amit Mishra (Image Credit ; Twitter)

4. Amit Mishra

For a leg-spinner as good as him who made his international debut in 2003, he has played only 22 Tests, 36 ODIs, and 10 T20Is. He has played under several captains such as Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli.

For some unexplained reasons, even after doing well in the limited opportunities, selectors and team management haven't persisted enough with him. Two years ago, in an interview, he had expressed his displeasure about the same. 

Ambati Rayudu (Image Credit : Twitter)

5. Ambati Rayudu

The right-hander was one of the most talented players in Indian cricket. However, run-ins with cricket board and umpires in his early years jeopardized the early stages of his career. The Hyderabad player made his ODI debut in 2013 against Zimbabwe. He was part of the team in 2015 World Cup but didn't get a game.

After this, he made his comeback in 2018 and became the first-choice number four batter in ODIs. However, leading up to the 2019 World Cup, he lost his place in the team and decided to retire from the game.