Gyanendra Pandey, an erstwhile colleague of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly, only appeared in two One-Day Internationals for India.
On the Indian cricket squad, there is intense rivalry for every position. Each year, a large number of fresh players make their team debuts, but very few of them end up getting regular playing time. It is nearly hard for associations and boards to offer every player in Indian cricket an equal chance because of the enormous skill pool that exists. Gyanendra Pandey, a former all-rounder for India, disappeared after playing in just two One-Day Internationals (ODIs).In 1999, Pandey made his Indian team debut against Pakistan. He was cut from the squad after just one more match.
After taking 254 wickets in 199 games in First-Class and List A cricket, the all-rounder attracted the attention of selectors. After demonstrating his value as an all-arounder and taking 148 wickets in 97 Ranji Trophy games, Pandey was called up to play in the 1999 Pepsi Cup tri-series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“I had performed admirably in 1997. I made 44 runs and claimed three wickets in the Duleep Trophy final. My performance in the Deodhar Trophy was outstanding. Vikram Rathour, Virender Sehwag, and Navjot Sidhu were the stars of the North Zone.I am undefeated at 23 after claiming five wickets. I am undefeated at 89 versus West Zone and have claimed 2-3 wickets against East Zone. “I scored 28 or 30 runs without outing and 2-3 wickets against South Zone,” Pandey said in an interview with The Lallantop.
“I defeated Robin Singh and Amay Khurasiya in the Challenger Trophy. After I claimed two wickets for 26 runs for India A, I was called up to the national team. That was back in 1999.”
In the dressing room, Pandey mingled with legends like Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly, but things quickly went south for him.In the 1999 Test series against New Zealand, Pandey was apparently not selected by BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele, but he still had the option to play for India.
“If Kumble has asked for a break, why not go for Sunil Joshi?” Lele reportedly replied, according to the anchor.
After being rejected, Pandey was never given another chance.
“Mr. Lele ought to have reconsidered his remarks. I shoulda shown him what I could do. He also worked as an umpire. It was my fault, I understand. I had no idea how these things worked; I had no idea about the tricks. I was defamed because I couldn’t take it. Not even the media published my side of the story.Nobody stopped by to ask me questions. Only the senior brass was contacted, according to Pandey.
Former cricket player for India is currently a public relations agent for State Bank of India.
