Many players are capable and talented but they rarely get opportunities. One such spinner was Nikhil Chopra who played only 1 Test match in his career. Nikhil, born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, is celebrating his 51st birthday today. Many cricketers from Uttar Pradesh like Mohammad Kaif, Kuldeep Yadav earned name in world cricket. Nikhil Chopra was one such player. Nikhil played only 1 test match in his career.
Watching Nikhil Chopra bowl was a different experience. However, given the opportunity, he could excel in the longer format of the game as he had all the qualities of a good off-spinner. He had good control over the line and length and swung the ball with accuracy. Not only this, their delivery was also fast
Nikhil Chopra represented Delhi and UP in domestic cricket. He played only one test match in his career. He played one test match against South Africa in Bengaluru in 2000. However, he did not take any wicket in the match and could score only 7 runs in 2 innings.
Nikhil Chopra got the tag of ODI specialist and was also seen as the first choice spinner in limited overs cricket. This off-spinner played 39 ODI matches in his career. He took a total of 46 wickets in his ODI career. In batting, he scored a total of 310 runs with 1 half-century.
Nikhil also took 5 wickets once in his ODI career. He took 5 wickets for 21 runs in the match against West Indies in Toronto. Apart from this, he took a total of 4 wickets in the match played against Zimbabwe in 1999. He also played with Sourav Ganguly who is now the BCCI President. Nikhil Chopra made his ODI debut in 1998 and then he had to wait for 2 years to play Test. However, he also played his last ODI on 1 June 2000 and retired later.
