"Had Dhoni Given Me A Chance...": Paceman Ishwar Pandey On Unfulfilled Team India Dream

Remember the tall fast bowler Ishwar Pandey, who had played in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings? The paceman announced his retirement from the sport on Tuesday in an Instagram post. Ishwar, got very close to getting an India cap but that dream remained unfulfilled. In 75 first-class matches he picked up 263 wickets. He was a star paceman for Madhya Pradesh and also featured for Central Zone n domestic cricket.

In the IPL Ishwar picked  up 18 wickets in 25 matches during his stint with CSK, Rising Pune Supergiants and Pune Warriors.

In an interview to Dainik Bhaskar, Ishwar said that things would have been different had MS Dhoni given him a chance.

"Had Dhoni given me a chance my career would have been something else. I was 23-24 year old at that time and my fitness was great. Had Dhoni given me a chance to play for India and if I had performed then my career would have been different," Pandey was quoted as saying by Dainik Bhaskar.

In his Instagram post Pandey wrote,

"Today the day has come and with a heavy heart, I have decided to retire from International and First class cricket. I began this incredible journey in 2007 and till date I have enjoyed every single moment spent on and off the field. Going back to my early days from how I started to see myself to reach where I am today is immensely satisfying. I feel proud and blessed that I have achieved a bit in my life. Coming from a very small town and to be the first one to make it to Indian cricket team from Rewa (MP) was always a dream and to achieve that will always be my biggest achievement.

A post shared by Ishwar pandey (@ishwar22)

"From getting up early in the morning, riding my cycle 20 kms every day in the morning and evening for my training, thinking about