Cricket being one of the most demanding sports of all time, makes life difficult for the players in the 22 yards to sustain themselves in the long run. Despite being wonders of the sport, several players bow out of this game as their creaking bones fail to gather themselves in a piece and deliver a rock solid showdown.
However, there are always exceptions as the similar is applicable to cricket for the ones who managed to endure it all and push their frayed bodies to the limit to hang in there and defy the odds.
One such name was Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a man whose glittering career spanned for a prolonged 14 years and 199 days that saw him winning the T-20 World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy.
The latter phase of his career witnessed him beig questioned several times because of his inability to deliver at his monunental best, but the man from Ranchi still remained the creme-de-la-creme of the Indian line up.
Now we will look at five Indian cricketers whose career spanned for the longest in international cricket.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
The name goes without a saying as the Little Master went on to play a staggering 22 years and 91 days in the international circuit. Making his debut at a tender age of 16 on 18th December 1989, the Mumbai-born cricketer was exposed to the merciless pace and swing of Pakistan.
That was just the preamble of what would later turn out to be a massive explosion in the cricketing canon as Tendulkar hauled one record after the other and finally decided to call it quits after playing 463 international games against an ailing West Indies on 18th March, 2012.
2. Harbhajan Singh
The turbanator was India’s primary spinning weapon who joined forces with Anil Kumble to push India to the top in Test cricket.
Though he is still to take an official retirement, Harbhajan’s career in the international circuit continued for 17 years 191 days, playing a staggering 236 matches. He played his last international match on 25th October, 2015.
3. Anil Kumble
The only Indian cricketer to register 10 wickets in an international innings and the second cricket overall to achieve this record after Jimmy Laker, India’s Jumbo played for a whopping 16 years and 328 days.
He was one of the major forces of Indian bowling, proving himself highly instrumental in helping India to stage dramatic turnarounds on foreign lands. He played his last game on 19th March, 2007, registering 271 international caps.
4. Yuvraj Singh
India’s main man who helped them to lift the 2007 T-20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup, the bloke who revolutionised the art of fielding for the otherwise lagging Indian fielders, is in the fourth spot as the Punjab-based cricketer played for 16 years and 270 days.
Chronicling 304 international caps, Yuvraj left an impressive legacy though he didn’t get a proper send off as his receding form didn’t get him a farewell match. His last appearance in the international circuit was on 30th June 2017.
5. Kapil Dev
India’s first world cup winning captain, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, left an indelible mark on international cricket as he went to play for the national team for 16 years and 16 days.
Playing in 225 matches, Kapil Dev brought the first glimmer of hope in the horizon of Indian cricket when an underdog India defied the mighty West Indies to lift their first major silverware.
He made his final footfall in Indian cricket on 17th October 1994.
