3 Indian players who quit one format without announcing retirement

Representing India across all three formats demands enormous physical commitment, and not every cricketer can sustain that workload throughout a career. However, stepping away from a format does not always mean retirement, and several Indian players have chosen to make themselves unavailable in one discipline while continuing to serve their country in others.

Their decisions have been shaped by injury management, workload concerns and the need to prolong careers at the highest level. The three names below have each communicated such a choice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India at some point in their careers.

Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India of his wish not to be considered for ODI selection while managing injury concerns. He had been named vice-captain of the India A squad for the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026, a group led by Tilak Varma, before the selectors withdrew him following his request. Ayush Badoni came in as his replacement in the squad, and Rinku Singh was elevated to the vice-captaincy in Patidar’s absence.

A knee problem had disrupted his domestic campaign in 2025, and a finger injury further complicated his participation during IPL 2025. However, this move does not amount to a retirement from the format. Patidar has simply communicated his unavailability for 50-over cricket at this stage, leaving the door open for a return once he is fully fit. He first entered an ODI squad in February 2023 as a replacement for Shreyas Iyer against New Zealand, and he captained Royal Challengers Bangalore to back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026.