12 cricketers with the surname Sharma, who have played for India

The Adelaide Test in 2014 saw India field as many as three players with Sharma as their surname in the side. Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma and Karn Sharma all played the Test. In fact, even Mohit Sharma was later a part of that tour. With a lot of Sharmas in contention for the national berth, Suvajit Mustafi looks at all the players with Sharma as their surname, who have appeared for India.

1:  Parthasarthy Sharma

His international career lasted a bit more than two years; Parthasarthy was a well-built right handed batsman from Rajasthan. He was a brilliant all-rounder at the domestic level, but couldn’t justify his talent at the top level. Post retirement, he became a reputed coach, who guided Gautam Gambhir back to the Test side. He helped Rahul Dravid in bettering his technique. He mentored the likes of Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, etc. during his stint with National Cricket Academy (NCA). He also coached the Rajasthan side. He passed away in October 2010 and was only 62.

2:  Yashpal Sharma

He played for India between the late 1970s to mid-1980s. He may not have been able to recreate his domestic numbers at the highest level, but the Haryana cricketer was hailed for his courage and ability to concentrate for long hours. He was one of the main players who contributed to the 1983 World Cup win. He represented India in 37 Tests and 42 One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He became an umpire for a short while before he coached Uttar Pradesh. He served as a selector between 2003 to 2006.

3:  Chetan Sharma

Nephew of Yashpal, Chetan made a mark in the national side in the mid-80s. A medium-pacer all-rounder, Chetan, who hails from Haryana, made his debut in 1983, at the age of 17. He is infamously remembered for conceding a last-ball six to Javed Miandad, which resulted in India’s defeat in the Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah in 1986. But Chetan is also the first bowler to claim a hat-trick in World Cup. He also is the first Indian to achieve the feat. He has played 23 Tests and 65 ODIs for India. He is currently a cricket commentator and also tried his luck in politics.

4:  Sanjeev Sharma

Sanjeev played cricket for India in between 1988 and 1990. He appeared in two Tests and 23 ODIs. He was an all-rounder, who was primarily a medium-pacer. He will be best remembered for his spell of five for 26 against West Indies in Sharjah in 1988. Like many others, he couldn’t consistently play well at the highest level, like he did in domestic. Later, he began his cricket academy and also became the coach of the Delhi team.

5:  Gopal Sharma

An off-spinner, who could bowl with accuracy and for long hours, Gopal was a contender for a long time. He was overshadowed due to the presence of the likes of Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Maninder Singh, Arshad Ayub, Shivlal Yadav, Ravi Shastri and Narendra Hirwarni. He represented India in five Tests and 11 ODIs in between 1985 and 1990 and later in the mid-2000s, was a part of the national selection committee.

6:  Ajay Sharma

At the age of 36, Ajay’s cricket career came to an abrupt end after he received a life-ban for his involvement in match-fixing. He was one of the most prolific batsmen at the domestic level with a First- Class average of 67.46. However, at the international level he struggled. He played a Test and 31 ODIs for India in between 1988 and 1993, with little success. In September 2014, he was cleared of the match-fixing charges by the Delhi District Court.

7:  Ishant Sharma

Ishant is currently India’s strike bowler and one of the most experienced members of the side. He is only 26, but having made his debut in 2007, he has played 61 Tests and 76 ODIs for India. His career has seen several highs and lows. He picked 7 for 74 against England in 2014 and was instrumental in guiding India to a Test win at Lord’s after 28 years. Ishant missed the World Cup 2015 due to an injury and currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

 8:  Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has been a part of the Indian side since 2007 and is one of the best batters in the side at the moment. He is crucial to India’s plans in the limited overs format. He rose from under-19 levels to stardom and is the only player to have scored two double hundreds in ODIs. In fact, he holds the record for the highest ODI score of 264 that he scored against Sri Lanka last year. Rohit is key to India’s plans for the future but despite of some brilliant performances, he has given impressions of not having translated his potential at the highest level. Rohit leads Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

9:  Joginder Sharma

Joginder has been a star performer for Haryana over the years. His all-round prowess earned him a national cap in late 2004.  Till 2007, he made sporadic appearances to the side, playing four ODIs and four T20Is. He was a member of India’s triumph in the Twenty20 World Championship in 2007. In fact, he played a key role in it and will be best remembered for the last over he bowled, where he defended 13 off the last over and got the prized scalp of Misbah-ul-Haq. Ironically, that was Joginder’s last appearance for India.

10:  Rahul Sharma

During IPL 2010, Rahul, playing for Deccan Chargers then, was diagnosed with a facial nerve dysfunction that affected his vision. He came back strong and made his mark next year, when he bowled brilliantly for Pune Warriors. The talented spinner made his way to the national side and played in late 2011 to mid-2012, appearing in four ODIs and two T20Is. He is particularly effective in the T20 format and now plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.

11:  Mohit Sharma

The Haryana bowler worked his way to the national side in 2013 on basis of consistent performances in First Class cricket and also IPL, where he plays for CSK. Mohit was one of the side’s key members in the 2015 World Cup. Currently, he is a regular feature in India’s limited overs’ sides, having played 20 ODIs and four T20Is.

12:  Karn Sharma

Karn is another cricketer, who made his mark after impressive performances in the IPL. The leg-spinner caught eyes of fans in the IPL 2013 for Sunrisers Hyderabad and since then has been in contention for the national side. Karn first appeared for India in a T20 match against England last year and since then has played two ODIs and one Test, with little success. Karn is an all-rounder, who has a First-Class hundred to his name.