Cricket is evolving, and the players with big reputations also struggle to find a position in the playing XI when not performing up to the mark. Even the legendary Sachin Tendulkar was thrown out of the Indian team at the end of his career. Despite these facts, one can’t refute the baffling stats of a few underperforming players getting to represent their cricketing teams at the international level. These overrated cricketers in 2025 can be called one-hit wonders who performed well in only one or two games before hitting rock bottom. They continued to play because of their potential, which never materialised. The International cricketing teams could have done much better if they had given chances to new talents.
Here are 8 Overrated Cricketers to Play International Cricket:
Here’s an article about eight international cricketers who, despite their popularity, are arguably overrated due to their lack of consistent match-winning performances. You might like them, but their on-field impact doesn’t always live up to the hype.
1- Babar Azam
Babar Azam, once hailed as a king in international cricket, is now known as “ghante ka king” even by his own Pakistani fans. His statistics are often dismissed due to his prolific scoring against weaker teams like Bangladesh, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. His form over the past few years has been abysmal, with no century in his last 63 innings, including the recent Tri-series final against New Zealand in Karachi. His mediocre captaincy contributed to his batting decline. Babar Azam is undoubtedly one of the most overrated cricketers not only in Pakistan but in world cricket today.
2- Hasan Ali
The Pakistani bowler was much hyped before making his international debut. He impressed Shoaib Malik, the former captain of Pakistan in domestic cricket in 2016 and earned a maiden call-up. Ali was the leading wicket-taker in the 2017 Champions Trophy, a tournament that Pakistan won. However, since then, he has been all talk and no game. His outrageous statements have earned him the status of being one of the overrated cricketers who talks big despite underperforming at the international level. He has picked 91 wickets in ODIs, 60 in T20Is and 77 in Tests so far.
Also Read: 7 Indian cricketers whose careers were probably cut short by MS Dhoni
3- Kedar Jadhav
Jadhav was perceived as a finisher for India in the later half of the 2010s. He did well in that edition of Indian Premier League and received an international call-up. However, at the international level, he performed to the best of his abilities only against England in 2017. He scored two back-to-back centuries in that ODI series and suddenly became the next big thing to watch out for. However, he only disappointed the Indian team and fans after that. Kedar never scored a century after that for India.
4- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra, the commentator who is known for coming up with hysterical Hindi slang while having a mic in his hand during a match, was one of the cricketers who had a lacklustre run at the international level. He unnecessarily received many chances, which only proved to be detrimental to India’s success. He played 10 Test matches in which he scored only 437 runs.
Also Read- Champions Trophy 2025: The Cost of Champions Trophy Tickets in Pakistan will Astonish You!
5- Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar was given preference over Ambati Rayudu in the 2017 Champions Trophy. A decision that the Indian team definitely regretted in the end. The all-rounder was touted as the successor for Hardik Pandya. However, he has become one of the most overrated cricketers in the recent couple of years. Shankar has played 12 ODIs in which he scored 223 runs and picked up only 4 wickets.
Also Read: 8 Cricketers from Odisha who became famous at International Level
6- Rohan Gavaskar
The left-handed batter is hardly remembered by the Indian fans. He is the son of the legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar. Rohan could not replicate the success his father had and shifted to commentary. He got 11 chances in ODIs, in which he notched up only 151 runs with an average of 18.87. The Indian selectors could have sidelined him earlier but continued to bet on him due to the success and aura of Sunil Gavaskar.
7- Matthew Wade
The Australian left-handed batter and keeper is one of the most overrated cricketers ever. He continues to get chances in the Australian side due to the unavailability of attacking wicket-keeper batters in Australia. Since the departure of Adam Gilchrist, the Kangaroos have failed to find a perfect replacement. Wade has scored only 1 century in the 97 ODI matches.
8- Umar Akmal
Umar Akmal was compared to Virat Kohli when he first arrived on the international cricketing scene. However, the younger brother of Kamran Akmal has drifted into obscurity in the recent few years. Umar played 121 ODIs and could only score two centuries. He is one of the most overrated and overhyped cricketers of all time.
