Image Source: AFP
[Saba Sports News] The late 1990s and early 2000s were a challenging period in Indian cricket, as the team recovered from the infamous match-fixing scandal, leading to bans for Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja.
Under newly-appointed captain Sourav Ganguly, India sought fresh talent, and while stars like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan emerged, many players were tried and quickly forgotten. Names like Tinu Yohannan, Iqbal Abdullah, Ajay Ratra, SS Das, and Deep Dasgupta had brief stints before fading from the national scene.
Among these was Gyanendra Pandey, a left-arm spinner and capable batter, who became a key player for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, with 254 wickets and over 4400 runs in First-Class and List A cricket.
Pandey made his India debut in the 1999 Pepsi Cup tri-series, sharing the dressing room with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Ganguly, Azharuddin, and Sehwag. Despite his promise, his international career was cut short after just two ODIs. Reflecting on his brief stint, Pandey, now working as a PR agent with State Bank of India, shared his frustration with not getting a longer opportunity.
“In 1997, I had performed well,” Pandey told The Lallantop in an interview. “In the Duleep Trophy final, I scored 44 runs and took three wickets. I had an extraordinary outing in the Deodhar Trophy… I got an India call-up in 1999.”
Pandey also recalled how he almost made it to the Test team in 1999 against New Zealand, but his selection was reportedly blocked by then-BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele, who allegedly favored another player. “Mr. Lele should have thought about what he said. He should have seen my performance,” Pandey said. “I didn’t know the tricks; didn’t understand how these things work. I couldn’t handle it and hence, got defamed.”
Despite his career’s abrupt end, Pandey remains positive, even when jokes about his job at SBI come up. “We do get them a lot. But it’s fine,” he remarked.