Who played the most without playing Tendulkar?

Which cricketer played the most Tests since Sachin Tendulkar's debut in 1989 without playing against the India batsman? We've found out in this week's column, which is about players who played the most matches during the careers of the most-capped cricketers without playing against them.

Darren Gough, the former England fast bowler, never played a Test against Tendulkar. He didn't play one against Rahul Dravid either. England played India three times during Gough's career (1994-2003) - in 1996, 2001-02 and 2002 - twice at home and once away. Gough was dropped on form for the home series against India in 1996, after a poor tour of South Africa the previous winter, when he struggled with a leg injury. He pulled out of the Tests in India in the winter of 2001-02 because of personal reasons. In 2002, Gough missed the first Test and eventually the entire Test series against India because of a knee injury. So he ended a 58-Test career without playing India at all.

Three players played 43 Tests during Jacques Kallis' career without playing against the South Africa allrounder: former West Indies batsman Sherwin Campbell, former Australia opener Michael Slater, and Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who made his debut in 2000. Jayawardene could have played Kallis for the first time during Sri Lanka's Tests in South Africa next week, but he was ruled out of the trip because of an injury.

Graham Gooch played 118 Tests between 1975 and 1995. Imran Khan's career spanned 1971-1992 but he played 84 of his 88 Tests during Gooch's career. They didn't play a Test against each other, even though England and Pakistan contested six series during the time their careers overlapped.

Neither played in England's series in Pakistan in 1977-78: Gooch hadn't been recalled after he was dropped following his first two Tests in 1975, and Imran was participating in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in Australia. Gooch was part of the home series against Pakistan in the summer of 1978, but Imran did not tour England, again because of his involvement in WSC. Imran did tour England in 1982, but Gooch was banned for having gone on a rebel tour to apartheid South Africa. Gooch was still banned when England went to Pakistan in 1983-84.

In 1987, Gooch was left out of the home series against Pakistan, which Imran played. Gooch did face Imran in a tour game before the Tests began, though, and was bowled for a duck. (He fell for another duck, to Wasim Akram, in the second innings.) When England toured Pakistan later that year, Gooch went, but Imran had retired. He would come out of retirement and lead Pakistan in a drawn Test series in West Indies and to World Cup glory in Australia. Imran was once again retired, this time permanently, when Pakistan toured England in 1992.

VVS Laxman has played 130 Tests. Sanath Jayasuriya played 110, 91 of them after Laxman began his career in 1996. They too never played each other. India and Sri Lanka played four bilateral series during the common period, and one match as part of the Asian Test Championship in 1999.

Jayasuriya played the home and away series against India in 1997. Laxman didn't. He wasn't a regular in India's Test team at the time. Laxman played the Asian Test Championship match in 1999; Jayasuriya had a hand injury. When India toured Sri Lanka in 2001, Laxman was injured but Jayasuriya wasn't. In 2005, Jayasuriya, who had just completed 100 Tests, was left out of the tour of India, while Laxman played the series.

The most-capped Test players and the player who played the most within their career without playing them

Player	Span	Mat

Player Span Mat Overlap Mat

SR Tendulkar (India) 1989-2011 184

D Gough (Eng) 1994-2003 58 1994-2003 58

SR Waugh (Aus) 1985-2004 168

SV Manjrekar (India) 1987-1996 37 1987-1996 37

SR Waugh (Aus) 1985-2004 168 M Prabhakar (India)

1984-1995 39 1989-1995 37 R Dravid (ICC/India)

1996-2011 160 D Gough (Eng) 1994-2003 58

1996-2003 46 RT Ponting (Aus) 1995-2011 157

Mushfiqur Rahim (Ban) 2005-2011 26 2005-2011 26

AR Border (Aus) 1978-1994 156

AD Gaekwad (India) 1974-1985 40 1978-1985 25

JH Kallis (ICC/SA) 1995-2011 147 SL Campbell (WI)

1995-2002 52 1996-2002 43 JH Kallis (ICC/SA)

1995-2011 147 HAPW Jayawardene (SL) 2000-2011 43

2000-2011 43 JH Kallis (ICC/SA) 1995-2011 147

MJ Slater (Aus) 1993-2001 74 1995-2001 43

SK Warne (Aus) 1992-2007 145

D Ganga (WI) 1998-2008 48 1998-2006 41

MV Boucher (ICC/SA) 1997-2011 141 MJ Slater (Aus)

1993-2001 74 1998-2001 40 S Chanderpaul (WI)

1994-2011 137 DR Martyn (Aus) 1992-2006 67

2000-2006 60 S Chanderpaul (WI) 1994-2011 137

HP Tillakaratne (SL) 1989-2004 83 1994-2004 60

M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) 1992-2010 133

JC Adams (WI) 1992-2001 54 1992-2001 53

AJ Stewart (Eng) 1990-2003 133 M Dillon (WI)

1997-2004 38 1997-2003 34 A Kumble (India)

1990-2008 132 DC Boon (Aus) 1984-1996 107

1990-1996 59 CA Walsh (WI) 1984-2001 132

WPUJC Vaas (SL) 1994-2009 111 1994-2001 48

N Kapil Dev (India) 1978-1994 131

GF Lawson (Aus) 1980-1989 46 1980-1989 46

BC Lara (ICC/WI) 1990-2006 131 GW Flower (Zim)

1992-2004 67 1992-2004 67 VVS Laxman (India)

1996-2011 130 ST Jayasuriya (SL) 1991-2007 110

1997-2007 91 ME Waugh (Aus) 1991-2002 128

RC Russell (Eng) 1988-1998 54 1991-1998 34

SM Gavaskar (India) 1971-1987 125

IM Chappell (Aus) 1964-1980 75 1972-1980 38

DPMD Jayawardene (SL) 1997-2011 125 CA Walsh (WI)

1984-2001 132 1997-2001 39 Javed Miandad (Pak)

1976-1993 124 CJ McDermott (Aus) 1984-1996 71

1984-1993 52 GD McGrath (Aus) 1993-2007 124

SV Carlisle (Zim) 1995-2005 37 1995-2005 37

IVA Richards (WI) 1974-1991 121

RW Taylor (Eng) 1971-1984 57 1977-1984 56

Inzamam-ul-Haq (ICC/Pak) 1992-2007 120 MA Butcher (Eng)

1997-2004 71 1997-2004 71 IA Healy (Aus)

1988-1999 119 DJ Nash (NZ) 1992-2001 32

1992-1999 26 GA Gooch (Eng) 1975-1995 118

Imran Khan (Pak) 1971-1992 88 1976-1992 84

DI Gower (Eng) 1978-1992 117

DK Morrison (NZ) 1987-1997 48 1987-1992 25

DL Haynes (WI) 1978-1994 116 RW Taylor (Eng)

1971-1984 57 1978-1984 51 DB Vengsarkar (India)

1976-1992 116 GF Lawson (Aus) 1980-1989 46

1980-1989 46 MA Atherton (Eng) 1989-2001 115

RS Kaluwitharana (SL) 1992-2004 49 1992-2001 40

MA Atherton (Eng) 1989-2001 115

GP Wickramasinghe (SL) 1991-2001 40 1991-2001 40

MC Cowdrey (Eng) 1954-1975 114 FM Engineer (India)

1961-1975 46 1961-1975 46

Kapil Goyal, a reader, sent in the question that led to the idea for this column.