Cricket has always been known as a game of ups and downs. The ups and downs are not just for the team as a whole but also for the players individually. In recent times, we have seen many players who have faced bad times that have resulted in bad form or injuries and have lost their place on the team. Over a period of time, whether it be in international cricket or franchise cricket such as the IPL, players have bounced back and made some historic comebacks. In recent times, there have been players whose careers had been thought to be over, but they have bounced back and made a comeback.
1. Virat Kohli
Undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in the current era, Virat Kohli has been going through a serious downfall in his career since 2020. He had not been scoring runs, let alone a century. For the first time, he had gone without scoring a century in a calendar year. He made his comeback with form from the Asia Cup 2022, scoring a century. Then, after he played that famous knock against Pakistan, Then he went on to score five centuries in just a few months, and finally a test century, which almost reached a double century against Australia in the final Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2023.
2. Cheteshwar Pujara
Considered the next Rahul Dravid for the Indian team, Cheteshwar Pujara is one of the most prominent test batsmen in India. He lost his place on the Indian test team due to the lack of runs and consistency in the tests. Pujara, however, after some dropped series, trained and played in the English County, where he regained a bit of form, and then he got the chance to play for India again in the Test side, and he did not disappoint at all. His experience and other stuff are vital for the Indian team now.
3. Mohammad Siraj
The Indian pacer was thought to have no line or length and was considered nothing more than an extra pacer. He was not even considered for India in any format, let alone as a full-time Indian bowler. Despite not being considered to play matches, he practised and played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in a very impressive manner. The performance with the bowl that Siraj delivered was so impressive that he got retained ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal. He did not disappoint and is now a full-time member of India in all formats.
4. Hardik Pandya
Considered to be one of the best all-rounders in India and part of even the Indian test team, he was once ruled out of the Indian team. This was due to his lack of performance with the bat and his inability to bowl due to injuries. He was in the team but was not at all delivering any sufficient performances, neither as an all-rounder nor as a batter. The change came when he was appointed captain of the Gujarat Titans and won the trophy. He empowered both all-round batting and bowling performances for the team. He got his place back and even a place in the World Cup squad.
5. Ravindra Jadeja
He is also one of the best all-rounders in all formats of the game for India. Jadeja was in trouble and questioned for his consistent poor outings, and there were more and more options available for the same spot as his. He delivered masterclass performances, beginning in T20s in 2021, where he regained his form in both batting and bowling. Again, he played impressive innings in the test matches against opponents such as Australia. This resulted in him removing the question mark over his selection.
6. Mohammad Shami
One of India’s ace pacers in all formats, Mohammad Shami, lost his place on the Indian team due to being inconsistent, especially in the shorter formats of the game. Mohammad Shami played many series in order to improve his wicket-taking abilities and consistency. Mohammad Shami impressed in the Border Gavaskar Trophy of the season 2020–21, where he was noticed as the best swinging bowler in the world. His breakthrough came when he played for Gujarat Titans, and he took the entire IPL by himself when he started to become one of the deadliest Indian bowlers with the white ball, especially in the opening of an innings.
7. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane has been revived from the dead if that can be said. Under MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane proved to be one of the most improved batters for India. Alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, after some time he was dropped from the Indian team and even did not find a place in the later series. He especially was not in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023, even though he won it by captaining a wounded Indian side in the 2020–21 series. He was picked by the Chennai Super Kings and played fabulously in the batting order, which revived his career, and he ultimately got selected for the Indian squad in the World Test Championship final.
8. Dinesh Karthik
Even though he is not in the current form that he had until 2022's end, he has still regained a lot of position in Indian cricket when considered. He had no chance of being selected for the international Indian team. He even began commentating, and it was unofficially declared that he was retired from international cricket. He, however, got his chance in 2022, when he became one of the best finishers in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was even called for in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2023 as a finisher and a wicketkeeper.
9. Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar had not played for the Indian team for a long time, since the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup. He was nowhere to be seen at any prominent team’s event; his IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, left him. Vijay Shankar was not seen enough anywhere until this IPL of 2023, when he got a chance again to play as a full-time player for Gujarat Titans when Kane Williamson got ruled out due to an injury in the first match itself. He started to show the form and played innings that he was capable of, which provided his entry for the World Cup selectors.
10. Shivam Dube
This year’s IPL has been one of the most promising for many young Indian batters who were looking for a comeback. Shivam Dube is also one of them. He had a bit of a shaky start in the beginning, but he looked absolutely impressive when he began to show glimpses of his form and his six-hitting abilities, playing wonders innings after innings with an incredible strike rate.
