4 fast bowlers who might miss out on India's 2019 World Cup squad

Fast bowling has always been an Achilles heel for the men in blue. One could count the number of all-time great fast bowlers India has ever had in ODI cricket and still there would be few fingers left. In 2011, India were lucky to have the services of Zaheer Khan whose 21 wickets led the Men in Blue to the World Cup title.

As another World Cup knocks our doors, the question remains who is going to be India's next Zaheer Khan at the 2019 World Cup. Who are those men who should be deemed good enough to shoulder the responsibility of India's pace battery?

If the clock is turned back to 2013-14, the Indian pace attack was shoddy, unreliable and lacked penetration. Indian seamers in the past were known to leak runs. However, the men in blue have come a long way since then, making their pace battery as their prime strength in ODI cricket.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are the spearheads of the current pace unit. Hardik Pandya has always stood up and satisfactorily played the role of the third seamer. Young Khaleel Ahmed is making a mark in every game he is playing. India also have Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav who have been sparingly used in ODI cricket for last 24 months.

After the 2015 World Cup, India have been fortunate to see pace sensations emerging on the international arena. The IPL has done its fair bit to nurture them to face sterner tests. As Team India builds up towards the 2019 World Cup, there is a problem of plenty and hence some unlucky players might not make it to the big event.

Here are four fast bowlers who might miss out on being a part of India's 2019 World Cup squad.

#4 Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar failed to capitalize on the chances for India

Deepak Chahar broke into the Indian side after a fruitful IPL season with the Chennai Super Kings where he picked 10 wickets from 12 games at an economy rate of around 7.3. A tall seamer who relies more on the swing, Chahar does not have an express pace and sticks to his line and length.

India looked at Chahar as a contender for the 2019 World Cup squad. He played a lone ODI and a T20I for India in their build-up towards the 2019 World Cup.

He took a beating on his T20I debut with figures of 1/43 and had an unimpressive ODI debut against Afghanistan where he returned with 1/37 in 4 overs. He was dropped from the Indian team immediately.

It was always going to be difficult for Chahar to cement his place in such a short period. Unfortunately, his performances in the two games for India did not speak for themselves and would not help in pushing his case forward.

#3 Siddharth Kaul

Siddharth Kaul has not picked up an ODI wicket yet in 3 games

The SRH fast bowler had a memorable IPL season in 2018 which paved his way into the Indian side. India tried Siddharth Kaul in a bid to bolster the pace department for the 2019 World Cup. He played three ODIs and two T20Is and returned with lacklustre performances. In fact, he has gone wicketless in all three ODIs he has played for India.

Kaul, the magician of the knuckle ball, bamboozled several batsmen in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League. Knuckle ball became his go-to delivery and the more he used, the harder it became for the batsmen to pick.

Unfortunately, Kaul could not replicate his IPL magic at the international level and took a hard beating in his short limited-overs career. At the moment, his chances of making it to the 2019 World Cup squad look bleak as there are plenty of others waiting in the wings.

#2 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami isn't India's first-choice seamer anymore

Mohammed Shami's ODI career has been perhaps the most intriguing among all the Indian seamers. Starting out in 2013 as someone with raw pace, genuine swing and ability to nail yorkers, the Bengal pacer has seen his ODI career take an uncanny twist and is pretty much out of reckoning now.

Shami was a regular member of the Indian squad till the 2015 World Cup. After that, injuries made him take a 2-year long hiatus before he finally showed up again in July 2017. Meanwhile, India had found other options and Shami wasn't the first choice anymore.

Recently, he was dropped from the squad after playing first two ODIs against the Windies. His axing sent a clear message that India are not seriously considering him as a part of 2019 World Cup preparations.

It looks like Shami may not make it to the World Cup squad at the moment. So far, he has played 52 ODIs picking 94 wickets.

#1 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has been up and down in ODI cricket of late

The Vidharbha pacer is a driving force in India's Test squad at the moment. However, in ODI cricket, Umesh Yadav has got a lot of work to do if he is to cement his place in India's 2019 World Cup squad. In his ODI career, Yadav has played 75 ODIs picking 106 wickets.

Mostly used as a back-up seamer in ODI cricket, Umesh has played few games here and there and hasn't been a regular of the 50-overs squad in the last three years. He is in the scheme of things but does not make it to the first choice XI.

There has never been a time in his career when Umesh has not been criticized for his death bowling performances. For some reasons, he just doesn't seem to master that art even after spending several years in international cricket.

India would not pick more than four seamers for the 2019 World Cup and those are likely to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed and all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Also, it would be unwise to rule Shardul Thakur's chances out. Hence, Yadav might be a notable absentee from India's 2019 World Cup squad.