5 Indian players who might never play for the national team again

Virat Kohli was made the Indian captain across all formats of the game this year as he took over from MS Dhoni in the ODIs and T20Is as well. Kohli was made the captain of the Test team in 2015 after Dhoni abruptly retired. But he had to wait till this year to get the nod to captain in limited-overs cricket. This is Kohli’s team now, and the team has done quite well under him.

The next 2 years is a very important period for the Indian team. They will tour to countries like Australia, South Africa and England where they have traditionally struggled.  Then they will play the 2019 World Cup in England, where they had to face the humiliating defeat to Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2017 final.

Team India needs to build their unit keeping the World Cup in mind, and that asks for youngsters to be given longer ropes in the team and thus, those who cannot go the distance will not find favour from the selectors. Some of the senior players who have served the team in the past might not get another chance to play for the nation again.

1. Gautam Gambhir

India tried really hard to find an able opening partner for Virender Sehwag. They went for a lot of combinations at the top, including Rahul Dravid who was promoted up the order to open the innings. But their search finally came to an end when they found another Delhi opener, Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir is the only Indian batsman to have scored centuries in five consecutive Test matches, he once rose to No.1 rank in ICC Test rankings for batsmen.

The Delhi batsman was pivotal in the Indian team’s World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011, as he was the top scorer for India in both the finals. But he has been frozen out of the day due to his bad form and considering his age of 35, come back into the team seems very difficult. He last played for India in 2016 against England. The team now has a settled opening pair in both Tests and limited-overs format, and Gambhir is not even among the backup options.

2. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh at his peak was one of the most feared spinners in world cricket. He has the second highest wickets in Test cricket for an off-spinner only behind the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan. Harbhajan rose to prominence after his brilliant performance in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in 2001 at home.

The off-spinner also known as ‘Turnbanator’ and ‘Bhajji’ was one of the stars on 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup wins. His stakes have fallen badly since then and have fallen behind even youngsters like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the pecking order. His last chance was in the South Africa ODI series in 2015. Considering his age which is 37, it’s very difficult for him to make come back in the Indian team here on.

3. Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra made his debut 18 years back in 1999. Then, he was seen as future of Indian fast bowling star. Nehra’s performances in 2003 World Cup have become a part of Indian cricket history. His spell of 6/23 against England in that World Cup caught the attention of cricket pundits. But he suffered many injuries which meant he was missing from cricket very often.

Nehra was forced to give up on his chances of playing longer formats of the game and he became a T20 specialist. impressive performances in the IPL earned him a national comeback. The Indian team now has many options in the pace bowling department and Nehra who is 38 has fallen too far behind to be recalled unless for a farewell game.

4. Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar was an asset to the Indian team, especially in the shorter formats. His ability to swing the new ball along with hard hitting prowess down the order made him a very useful player for the Indian team. He made his name in the tri-series in Australia in 2008 where he played an important role in India’s triumph.

He was selected for the 2011 World Cup but had to be replaced by S Sreesanth when he got injured. He had a successful tour to England in 2011 where he was India’s best bowler in a forgettable series. But injuries halted his rise and he lost his form and fitness. PK hasn’t played a match in national colours for more than 5 years. Considering the number of options India have in the pace bowling department, it is next to impossible for Kumar to make a comeback.

5. Piyush Chawla

Another of those Indian cricketers who rose to fame at a very young age. Piyush Chawla made debut against England in 200 and became youngest ever debutant for India after Sachin Tendulkar. But he was never able to cement his place in the team because of his inconsistency. He was the part of 2011 World Cup winning squad although he only played one match.

That World Cup triumph was the highest point of his career. Chawla hasn’t got many chances since then playing his last match for India in 2012 vs England. India doesn’t have dearth of options in the spin bowling department. Emergence of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel has made his chances of come back very slim.