5 Indian Players Who Made Comebacks After Long Absences

International cricket has always rewarded consistency, but a handful of Indian players have shown that persistence beyond a long absence can also earn a recall. Several cricketers have returned to the national side after gaps of multiple years, driven by strong domestic or franchise performances.

The most recent example arrived on October 6, 2026, when the BCCI named Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India’s 16-man T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand. His inclusion renewed attention on players who had to wait years before getting another opportunity at the highest level.

As Indian fans celebrate the comeback of one of the best swing bowlers the country has ever produced, let’s take a look at five players who were out of the Indian setup for quite some time before getting recalled.

5 Indian players who made comebacks after prolonged absence

5. Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra staged an international comeback for India when he was 37 years old. Before his comeback, the left-arm seamer was in a five-year exile. He made a comeback on the back of stellar performances in the Indian Premier League, notably with Chennai Super Kings. He played the 2016 Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in the same year before hanging his boots on November 1, 2017.