5 current cricketers who haven’t played a single ODI till NZ vs IND 2026 tour ft. Abhishek Sharma

When Abhishek Sharma fires, no target seems big. He smashed his fourth century, as India chased down 199 inside 14 overs in the third T20I on Tuesday, October 27, to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

“He should be picked for ODIs as well,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel after Abhishek Sharma’s 113 off 38 balls had set up India’s six-wicket win in Wellington. “I am surprised he is playing only one format.” Kaif acknowledged the queue in front of him and still predicted: “I feel he is not too far from his ODI debut.”

Abhishek and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added 133 in seven overs, their 118 in the powerplay the highest in T20I history. The No. 1 T20I batter has four T20I hundreds in 70 matches and 2,236 runs at a strike rate just under 200.

Here are five active cricketers who have done well in other formats but are yet to receive the ODI cap.

Abhishek Sharma (India)

Mohammad Kaif emphasises on the powerplay. ODIs offer ten overs instead of six, and a batter who attacks from the first ball would get more of them. Abhishek Sharma’s numbers are not thin: 439 and 484 runs in two recent IPL seasons for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, striking at 193.39 and 204.21. The 26-year-old has a 42-ball List A hundred for Punjab against Madhya Pradesh in February 2021, then the fastest by an Indian.

Bevon Jacobs (New Zealand)

When Bevon Jacobs was called up for the T20Is against Sri Lanka in early 2025, the ODI places went to Will O’Rourke and Will Young. His record stands at 13 T20Is, 272 runs at 30.22 and a strike rate of 143.16, with two fifties and a best of 62 off 31 balls against Bangladesh in May. The 24-year-old has 944 first-class runs at 44.95 with two hundreds, though 603 List A runs at 27.4 in 30 matches explains some of the selectors’ caution. The Mumbai Indians bought him for ₹30 lakh at the IPL 2025 auction.

Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka)

Nuwan Thushara is a fast bowler with Lasith Malinga’s slingy action and a T20I-only international career. He has 19 wickets at 14.57 from 11 T20Is, with an economy of 7.95 and a best of 5 for 20, beginning at the SCG in February 2022. He plays for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, alongside PSL, ILT20 and SA20. His List A debut came in March 2018, but no 50-over cap has followed.

Devdutt Padikkal (India)

Devdutt Padikkal is the purest near-miss. Named in India’s ODI squad for the 2021 Sri Lanka tour, he watched five teammates debut in the third ODI while he and Ruturaj Gaikwad sat out, and his only two T20Is came in that series. He arrived with 1,387 List A runs in 20 matches at 86.68, built on 737 runs in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Test cricket has followed, including 65 on debut against England in Dharamsala in March 2024, and an unbeaten 101 off 52 balls for RCB against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021.

Usman Tariq (Pakistan)

Usman Tariq breaks the pattern twice: he is a spinner, and his ODI case has never really been argued in public. His international cricket has been T20 only, where his variations make him awkward to line up in short spells. Pakistan have not yet asked him to bowl ten overs with a white ball, and his reputation rests on franchise cricket rather than a 50-over record.

Abhishek’s situation will be settled first, and loudest. The rest are waiting on selection logic that has not moved: T20 specialists get T20 squads, and 50-over places go to batters with longer-format proof.

Edited by Srinjoy