Ajay Sharma

[aussie_ben91]

Has the 3rd highest first-class average of anyone to score 10,000+ first-class cricket but yet only featured in 1 Test and 31 ODI's. He apparently showed glimspes of class in that 1 Test aswell, albeit only averaging 26 from 2 innings.

What's so astonishing about Sharma's career was that he was labelled an "allrounder", despite his incredible first-class record as a batsman and not-so-great record as a bowler. He had a phenomenal strike-rate (for the era that he was playing in) of 90 but yet, inspite of his amazing first-class record, the Indians batted him for the majority of his short-career at number 7 & 8, acouple of times at 6 & 9 and once at number 4 where he smashed 59 not out off 55 balls. His two other half-centuries came off 36 & 47 balls faced. His strike-rate for the era he played in was enough to suggest class and dominance to atleast make the national side?

There was so much emphasis on Tendulkar having to carry the Indian batting during the 1990's but yet inbetween 1990 and 1996, Sharma averaged over 100 in Indian first-class cricket in the Ranji Trophy. Surely this guy could've helped the Indians of the 1990's immensely?

So tell us, Indian fanatics - Why was this amazing talent disgarded?

 

[metallics2006]

Corruption.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Funnily enough, some of the batsman that were chosen ahead of Sharma, averaged almost less then half of the runs per innings that Sharma did in first-class cricket.

Cricinfo - Players and Officials - Kris Srikkanth

 

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Politics and corruption. Otherwsie Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag would have dropped mch earlier. Sourav was imidiately dropped. What about Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag ? They got most chances despite of failing.

 

[King Cricket]

^When did Sachin fail? : Seesh. Sehwag was dropped when he lost his form. And Dravid, one of world's most celebrated no 3 batsmen, is now not even a part of the Indian ODI side.

 

[metallics2006]

Politics and corruption. Otherwsie Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag would have dropped mch earlier. Sourav was imidiately dropped. What about Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag ? They got most chances despite of failing.

You seriously want to drop a batsman who averages over 50 in both forms of the game after playing international games for 20 years? Every one is entitled to his opinion I guess. =/

 

[shravi]

Politics and corruption. Otherwsie Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag would have dropped mch earlier. Sourav was imidiately dropped. What about Tendulkar,Dravid and Sehwag ? They got most chances despite of failing.

Lol x 100. Dravid is a victim of corruption, not a beneficiary. It's the case with all South Indians. Dravid is just lucky he has been so consistent that there has been no argument against his selections amongst selectors. You couldn't justify dropping him. Sachin. Sachin is just special. Sehwag. He doesn't rely on form. He plays on instinct. If it's his day, it's his day, yeserday doesn't matter to him.

As for Ajay Sharma. He's from Delhi so it couldn't have been corruption. Just bad luck, I suppose. Some Indians tend to overplay the 'corruption' card as an excuse for everything. It's just bad luck in this case I think. Otherwise, perhaps the selectors saw something in his technique or his attitude that would have prevented him from being consistently successful at the highest level. Also, just read his profile. His name was attached to the match-fixing scandal. It's not a healthy reputation to have.

 

[manee]

Has the 3rd highest first-class average of anyone to score 10,000+ first-class cricket but yet only featured in 1 Test and 31 ODI's. He apparently showed glimspes of class in that 1 Test aswell, albeit only averaging 26 from 2 innings.

What's so astonishing about Sharma's career was that he was labelled an "allrounder", despite his incredible first-class record as a batsman and not-so-great record as a bowler. He had a phenomenal strike-rate (for the era that he was playing in) of 90 but yet, inspite of his amazing first-class record, the Indians batted him for the majority of his short-career at number 7 & 8, acouple of times at 6 & 9 and once at number 4 where he smashed 59 not out off 55 balls. His two other half-centuries came off 36 & 47 balls faced. His strike-rate for the era he played in was enough to suggest class and dominance to atleast make the national side?

There was so much emphasis on Tendulkar having to carry the Indian batting during the 1990's but yet inbetween 1990 and 1996, Sharma averaged over 100 in Indian first-class cricket in the Ranji Trophy. Surely this guy could've helped the Indians of the 1990's immensely?

So tell us, Indian fanatics - Why was this amazing talent disgarded?

He did pretty poorly in the ODIs he played. The backwards thinking which still partially perseveres today said that if he is a failure at ODI cricket, he will be a failure at Test cricket. Needless to say, he was never that strong an OD batsmen and his strength was FC cricket.

 

[Cricketdude]

He received a life ban after his match fixing scandal.

 

[King Cricket]

^Really? I doubt it.

 

[aussie_ben91]

He did pretty poorly in the ODIs he played. The backwards thinking which still partially perseveres today said that if he is a failure at ODI cricket, he will be a failure at Test cricket. Needless to say, he was never that strong an OD batsmen and his strength was FC cricket.

Maybe he only failed with the bat because India batted him too far down the order at 7 & 8?

He received a life ban after his match fixing scandal.

When he was 36.

 

[manee]

Maybe he only failed with the bat because India batted him too far down the order at 7 & 8?

I'm not disputing with you that it was totally flawed thinking and that he wasn't given a fair chance.

 

[aussie_ben91]

If only England could produce a batsman like that out of their county cricket system.

 

[King Pietersen]

Australia have only produced 1 better than Sharma.

 

[sohum]

Corruption is not necessarily zonal in India. If you don't get along with the selector who is representing your state, then you might as well kiss your international hopes good bye (at least, back then).

There are several really talented Indian batsmen who set domestic circuits on fire who never got the chance to ply their trade at international level.