Representing India in international cricket is a huge dream for all cricketers. While some players are given a long career, others are given only one opportunity to don the Indian jersey. In T20I cricket, where teams keep changing players depending on performance and conditions, some Indian cricketers played only one T20I match and never received another chance. Whether because of stiff competition, poor luck, or team choice, these players were unable to carry on in the shortest format. Let's see 11 Indian players who played only one T20I game in their career. Sno Players 1 Dinesh Mongia 2 Sachin Tendulkar 3 Murali Kartik 4 Sudeep Tyagi 5 Subramaniam Badrinath 6 Rahul Dravid 7 Karn Sharma 8 Sreenath Aravind 9 Pawan Negi 10 Rishi Dhawan 11 Parvez Rasool Dinesh Mongia Image Source: ESPN The Indian veteran born in Chandigarh, Dinesh Mongia was among the eleven players who played for India in its first-ever T20I match against South Africa. Playing 57 ODIs in his career, Mongia stepped to bat at no. 3 in that match for India. While chasing a humble target of 127, taking the team's total close to the target, Mongia scored a knock of 38 runs. He survived for 45 deliveries in the middle before getting out to Robin Peterson. The left-handed batsman was overlooked for the 2007 T20 World Cup and he never played in the IPL either, so he retired from T20I cricket after appearing in only one match. Also Read | 3 Players Who Can Replace Jasprit Bumrah in 2025 Sachin Tendulkar Image Source: AFP One of the best batsmen the cricket world has witnessed, Sachin Tendulkar also appeared in only one T20I of his career. Similar to Dinesh Mongia, Mumbai-born legend had also made his debut in T20I against South Africa in 2006 in which he scored 10 runs off 12 balls. Few fans might not be aware that Sachin even bagged a wicket during the match. Since he had opted out of the T20 World Cup team, the selectors did not include him in the T20 competition. As the then captain MS Dhoni wanted to construct the team around the young guns, Tendulkar never got another opportunity to play for the country in T20 cricket. He was a regular member for Mumbai Indians in IPL, but; he featured in only a single T20I game throughout his illustrious career. Murali Kartik Image Source: AFP Murali Kartik had established himself in the Indian team with his excellent performances during the home series against Australia. His 6/27 spell in the ODI series had seen him included in the Indian T20I team, and he played his debut against the Aussies. In the only T20I of his career, Kartik bowled 4 neat overs in which he allowed just 27 runs but could not get any wicket. Even though India won that match, the left-arm spinner from Chennai never again was a part of the T20I squad. Since playing his final competitive game in 2016, Kartik has now turned into a cricket commentator and expert. He had played for 4 IPL franchises throughout his career. Sudeep Tyagi Image Source: Associated Press The Ghaziabad right-arm fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi had established himself while representing the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. His good work for the Chennai franchise earned him a national selection in 2009. Tyagi played his T20I against Sri Lanka in Mohali. On a flat Mohali pitch, India had let the visitors score 201 runs in the first innings and Tyagi bowled just 2 overs in which he gave 21 runs at an economy rate of 10.50. As he got struck for 2 fours and 1 six in the 12 balls he bowled, the management of the team excluded him from the T20I team. The performance of Tyagi declined after that year and soon even the Chennai Super Kings let him go. The Sri Lanka match turned out to be his sole T20I match for India. Subramaniam Badrinath Imagre Sourec: Associated Press One of the most skilled players of the Indian domestic league, Subramaniam Badrinath had made his entry into the Indian side in the year 2008. He had debuted in ODIs in 2008 but he waited for 3 years to get his Indian T20I cap. Badrinath had begun his T20I career together with Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan but he was unable to play additional games for India. A curious fact to remember is that the right-handed batsman had taken the Man of the Match against West Indies on his T20I debut but still, he was removed from the T20I squad. The player who used to play for the Chennai Super Kings had scored a knock of 43 runs that included 5 fours. His 37-ball innings had secured India a victory by 16 runs but, it turned out to be Badrinath's last T20I match. Also Read | Who Has Scored a Double Century in T20 Cricket? Full List Here Rahul Dravid Image Source: AFP Rahul Dravid, The Wall of the Indian Cricket Team, had debuted in T20I in 2012 which was 16 years after he featured for India in his first game. Since many of the players got injured during India's tour of England, which went terribly wrong, the Indian squad had no other choice but to include Rahul in the T20I team for the match against England. He was questioned by many regarding his inclusion in the team but Dravid silenced all his detractors by playing 3 straight sixes against Samit Patel's bowling. He scored 31 runs from his solitary T20I game and finished his T20I career with a strike rate of 147.61. India might have lost that T20 match but fans still recall the blistering innings played by the world's greatest defensive batsman. Karn Sharma Image Sourec: BCCI Karn Sharma grabbed the limelight by performing superbly for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Unlike the other players on this list, Karn had made his T20I debut before playing his first ODI or Test. He earned his maiden T20I cap against England in 2014. The Railways leg-spinner had bowled a fine spell of 4 overs in that game where he gave away 28 runs but took the important wicket of Joe Root. Ultimately, India lost that match by 3 runs and Karn never came back to the T20I team. It is noteworthy that England’s explosive opener, Jason Roy and India’s controversial king, Ambati Rayudu had made their T20I debut in the same match. Since his leg-spin is no longer so effective as it was once, the chances that the 32-year-old returns to the Indian team are very low. Sreenath Aravind Image Source: AFP Karnataka left-arm pacer Sreenath Aravind had impressed the selectors with his regular performances during the IPL as well as the domestic season. Aravind made his international debut for India in a T20I against South Africa in 2015. Rohit Sharma had played a stunning century for India in the game and taken the home team to 199 in Dharamshala. But South Africa chased down the target easily as the young Indian bowling unit was unable to stop the runs. Debutant Sreenath Aravind bowled 3.4 overs during the match in which he gave away 44 runs at a costly economy rate of 12. Thus, he was never selected again in the Indian team. Pawan Negi Image Source: BCCI One of the nation's most promising spin-bowling all-rounders, Pawan Negi had already made his T20I debut for India in 2016. The left-arm spinner was one of the players who were likely to play the T20 World Cup for India. He started his T20I career against U.A.E. in the Asia Cup of 2016 and even though he had taken the figures of 1/16 in his 3 overs, the all-rounder got dropped from the side. The left-arm bowler had bagged the wicket of Muhammad Usman in that match wherein he bowled 8 dot balls and leaked only a solitary boundary. His underwhelming performances at the following IPL tournament ensured that Negi did not feature in another match for India. The Delhi-born all-rounder played for Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2019. Rishi Dhawan Image Source: AFP The erstwhile Mumbai Indians player, Rishi Dhawan made his debut and sole T20I appearance for India in June 2016 against Zimbabwe. Even though the Zimbabwean team is considered to be a weaker one, they had beaten the mighty Men in Blue by 2 runs in the match. All-rounder Rishi Dhawan was the second costliest bowler of India as the right-arm pacer leaked 42 runs in his 4 overs spell. He maintained an economy rate of 10.50 in that inning. Apart from that, he could not do much with the bat too. The Mandi-born batsman went unnoticed on 1 run off 2 deliveries in India's loss. Due to his sub-par performance in both departments, Dhawan lost his spot in the team. Parvez Rasool Image Source: ESPN The 30-year-old off-spinner, Parvez Rasool had also been the first Jammu and Kashmir player to represent India in a T20I match in 2017. The all-rounder made his Indian ODI debut in 2014; however, his T20I debut came after 3 years against England. Similar to Rishi Dhawan, Parvez disappointed the fans by not playing to the level in both departments. He could manage only 5 runs from 6 balls after walking out to bat in the 17th over. With the ball, Rasool bowled 4 overs and also dismissed Eoin Morgan along with conceding 32 runs. The player born in Bijbehara has represented Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL but he might never return to the Indian T20I team. Conclusion Cricket is a sport of chances, and not everybody gets a second one. These 11 Indian cricketers got to play for their nation in T20Is but failed to establish a long career in the format. A few of them performed really well in domestic cricket, whereas some of them became lost among emerging stars. Their tales make us realize how hard international cricket is and how every game can prove to be make-or-break for a player. Though they appeared once, they managed to do what many aspire for—don the Indian jersey at the grandest stage.