Although India’s final group of players that could be playing in the World Cup next year seems to be getting more and more clear with the each passing series, there are still few players who could make the cut next year for the mega event.
Here are 5 players who could still be in the running to make it to the 15-man squad in Australia and New Zealand:
#1 Gautam Gambhir
The man, who many feel was a tad unlucky to have not received the Man-of-the-Match award in the finals of T20 and 50-over World Cup in 2007 and 2011 respectively, could be the third specialist opener that the selectors would be looking at in Australia and New Zealand.The 32-year old last represented the country in coloured clothing in the home series vs England in early 2013 and made an unsuccessful comeback to Test cricket in England earlier this year.The KKR captain has an impressive record in the 50-over format, having scored more than 5000 runs in limited overs cricket.
Despite the selectors picking Murali Vijay for the third opener’s position,The Delhi opening batsman could still be on that flight down under due to his experience of playing the short ball well and having performed the last time he was there in 2008.
However,a lot will depend on his performances in Deodhar trophy in November and also the Ranji trophy in December.
#2 Zaheer Khan
Possibly the second best fast bowler to play for India alongside Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan is another one who could be part of India’s World cup campaign next year.
Zaheer, the joint highest wicket taker in the previous edition held in the sub-continent with 21 wickets, has however been in-and-out of the team since that memorable campaign owing to poor form and injuries.
However, after working hard on his fitness under Tim Exeter in France, the fast bowler made a come back to the team for the tour to South Africa and performed decently in that series as well as in the next series in New Zealand. The 36-year-old last played for the country in the 50-over format in July 2012.
Just like Gambhir, a lot will depend on his form and fitness in the upcoming domestic tournaments and the selectors will keep a watch on him as they would know that his experience of having played in Australia and New Zealand earlier, could benefit the younger bowlers next year.
#3 Yuvraj Singh
Few would disagree that Yuvraj Singh is possibly India’s biggest match winner after Sachin Tendulkar in ODI cricket for India. The player of the World cup in the 2011 edition, the Punjab left-hander has been through a lot since that event and as a result of that is no longer the same player that he was then.
Yet, despite not being a regular anymore in the Indian ODI setup, Yuvraj’s stats in the 50-over format are terrific, having scored more than 8000 runs at an average of 36.
The 32-year old did show signs of his devastating self during the second half of the IPL earlier this year and if he continues to be among the runs in domestic 50-over competitions in the coming months, then he could find a berth in the final 15 next year.
Also, he could be the man who could bowl a few overs if Dhoni goes in with just the one spinner.
#4 Irfan Pathan
One of the biggest enigmas of Indian cricket, the 29-year old from Baroda has an uphill task ahead of him if he has to make it to the team for the mega event next year.
Pathan last played for India in the 50-over format in the bilateral series vs Sri Lanka and emerged as the highest wicket taker in that series with 8 wickets. However, a spate of injuries and poor form have not helped his cause and he will know that a lot of cricketers similar to him have gone ahead of him in the race.
If he can show signs of his old self with the ball and can contribute with the bat lower down the order, then the selectors could keep him as a back-up option. The upcoming domestic season could well be the most important one of his career and he will know he has to deliver to remain in the selector’s radar for the World Cup.
#5 Robin Uthappa
The opening batsman from Karnataka came back into contention for a slot into the national team after his stellar performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 Indian Premier League (IPL).
An attacking option at the top, the 29-year-old, changed his entire batting technique after hiring former India batsman Pravin Amre as his personal coach and scored 660 runs in this year’s IPL. He also scored a 50 in his comeback game for India against Bangladesh in June earlier this year.
He, however, did not have great tour to Australia with the ‘A’ team and will know that consistently scoring runs in the domestic circuit is the only way by which he could be part of the team in the 2015 World Cup.
The upcoming Deodhar Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy serves as an ideal platform for the Kodava-lad to impress the selectors and be on that flight next year.
#6
Apart from the 5 players who have a higher chance of being a member of the squad,there could still be few players who could be selected for the event,out of the blue.
Here are 5 other players who could be part of that team next year,despite mediocre performances in the past.
1.Piyush Chawla:The leg-spinner from Uttar Pradesh got criticised heavily for his ineffective spells in the previous World Cup campaign and played his last one day game for India 3 years back against the Netherlands in Delhi in the 2011 World cup.
After a not-so- successful stint with the stint with the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League,the 25-year old has put out decent performances for his current IPL franchise the Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR),albeit a little too inconsistently .
Chawla has a tendency to go for runs despite picking up wickets and that is something that has not helped his cause in cementing a spot in the team on a consistent basis.
However, if India needs a wrist spinner and if he is among the wickets leading up to the tournament,then he could find a spot in the Indian contingent at the World cup.
2.Yusuf Pathan:The elder of the two Pathan brothers,Yusuf, has not been part of the Indian setup for over 2 years now owing to poor form and an inability to play the short ball convincingly.
The 31-year-old,has been inconsistent in his performances with the bat for his IPL franchise KKR.playing the odd blinder of an innings and getting out cheaply at other times.
However,he did show improvements in his off-breaks during the recently concluded Champions League T20 and if he does manage to score runs on a more consistent basis,he might still have a outside chance to feature in the final 15.
3.Manoj Tiwary: One of the unluckiest young cricketers,the Bengal lad’s cricket career has just not got a move-on since he made his debut in the triangular series in Australia in 2008.
Constant Injuries and continuous opportunities to the other batsman have meant that the 28-year-old has not played as much as he should have for the country.He is a brilliant fielder and bowls handy leg spin too,but needs to be among the runs to ensure the selectors keep him as a backup,in case of an injury to one of the regular players.
4.Ashish Nehra:The left arm pacer from Delhi has to be said is Destiny’s Child.He was part of the team in the 2003 World cup and then did not play a game for the country for 6 years,before making a comeback to national colours.
After some good performances leading up to the 2011 World cup,the 35-year-old sealed a spot in the final squad and went on to win the winner’s medal that had eluded him 8 years earlier.
He recently had a good Champions League T20 playing for the Chennai Super Kings,and if he does remain fit and is among the wickets,he could well make another remarkable comeback and don the national colours at the World cup.
5.Varun Aaron: The 25- year old from Jharkhand is one of the rare Indian bowlers who can consistently bowl quick and hurry up the opposition batsman.Like many others his career too has been hampered by several injuries.
Aaron,however did make an impressive return to Indian colours in the Manchester Test earlier this year and if fit and firing,his pace could be prove lethal in the bouncy pitches at the World cup next year.
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