3 Cricketers who got their big break when another player was unavailable

Warming the bench and running drinks in international cricket is not something to be embarrassed about. Earning the opportunity to be one of the players trusted to warm the bench is no mean feat.

While such players may have to run drinks and relay messages from the dressing room to the middle constantly, they also get their big breaks when a first‑choice player suffers an unforeseen injury. Here is a look at three players who got their big breaks in international cricket due to an injury to a preferred player:

#1 Yusuf Pathan (IND vs PAK, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2007)  

Yusuf Pathan made his India debut in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. He replaced Virender Sehwag, who was ruled out with a groin injury sustained in the semifinal against Australia. Yusuf scored 15 off eight balls, striking a boundary and a six at a rate of 187.50. He was dismissed by Mohammad Asif.

#2 Virat Kohli (SL vs IND, India's tour of Sri Lanka 2008, 1st ODI)  

Virat Kohli got his first opportunity in international cricket during India’s 2008 tour of Sri Lanka. Sehwag was ruled out of the five‑match ODI series due to an ankle injury, opening the door for the U19 World Cup 2008‑winning captain.

Kohli also made his ICC event debut at the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy after Yuvraj Singh injured his little finger. Kohli has since become arguably the greatest ODI batter of all time and remains driven by the hunger to score runs and win matches for India.

#3 Evin Lewis (WI vs AFG, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016)  

A big‑hitting opening batter, Evin Lewis made his international debut for West Indies against Afghanistan at the 2016 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He replaced Lendl Simmons, who suffered a back injury. Lewis had a debut to forget, scoring a seven‑ball duck as Afghanistan stunned West Indies by six runs in Nagpur. Lewis later scored multiple centuries in both ODIs and T20Is, becoming the third player to do so in T20Is.