Photo via Hindustan Times

55* on India debut, cap received from MS Dhoni, played under Shane Warne; dramatic disappearance after one ODI

Hailing from Nagpur, left-handed opening batsman Faiz Fazal emerged alongside contemporaries like Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik, famously rooming with both during an Under-17 tour in Sri Lanka. Although he announced his arrival with a stellar 151 on his Vidarbha first-class debut at age 18, heartbreak soon followed when a fractured finger knocked him out of the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, forcing him to watch peers like Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, and RP Singh push forward into senior contention while he started anew in the domestic circuit.

Fazal eventually built an illustrious domestic legacy, amassing 9,184 first-class runs and captaining Vidarbha to consecutive Ranji Trophy championships. Along the journey, he spent three terms with Railways, experienced the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals under alongside childhood hero Rahul Dravid, and compiled 845 runs at an average of 65 during the 2013-14 Ranji campaign.