5 Indian cricketers who should not be called back for the 2019 World Cup

A spot in the Indian cricket team is one of the biggest dreams of almost every children in India as they grow up. Thousands of professional cricketers work hard every year to get called into the national team. Thus it is imperative that only those who deserve a place in the team should be selected and the ones who don't should be ousted from the side.

India has seen a plethora of cricketers play for its national cricket team. Some of them went on to achieve so much whereas others couldn't make much of an impact. With an eye at nurturing a group for the 2019 World Cup, including some particular guys will be detrimental to the cause. In this list, we are taking a look at five Indian cricketers who should not be given a further chance in international cricket, at least till 2019 World Cup.

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#5 Ishant Sharma

In his best days, Ishant Sharma can cause carnage on the opposition batting lineup. However, on other days, he leaks a lot of runs. The 30-year-old is a vital cog in India's Test lineup. However, he has not been a part of the playing XI since January 2016 for good reasons.

Ishant's ODI economy is 5.72, which means he could concede around 57 runs in every game. With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah doing an exceptional job with the new ball and at the death overs, Ishant will not be missed by Indian cricket team. With the likes of Deepak Chahar, Siddharth Kaul and Shardul Thakur knocking the selector's door for being the backup pacer, bringing back Ishant to the limited overs side can be harmful.

The Delhi pacer was a part of Sussex in the Royal London One Day Cup, but could not make any impact with the ball.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

It is safe to say that Ashwin is not in the radar of the selectors for the ODI team.

Ravi Ashwin is an outstanding Test bowler. His variations and flight are difficult to judge and play against, especially in Indian conditions. In Test cricket, he is the fastest Indian to reach 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300-wicket mark. However, in ODI cricket, he has not been able to replicate his success.

By no means, is Ashwin a bad limited overs bowler. He is economical but not a wicket-taker. Batsmen often find it easy to tackle him. Moreover, both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have proved to be a brilliant spin pair for India in the limited overs. As a backup, Ravindra Jadeja has been doing well. This means that the Tamil Nadu spinner will have to wait to make his return to the national ODI side.

#3 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was a crucial part in most of India's World Cup triumphs. He played a significant role in the 2007 T20 World Cup and was the Man of the Tournament of World Cup 2011. However, he was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo treatment. Even after the battle against cancer, Yuvi continued his cricketing career, which is an inspirational story on its own.

The Punjabi southpaw had a few memorable outings in T20 internationals, but his ODI form was a deep let down since his return. Barring his career high 150 against England, Yuvraj hasn't had much success in the 50 over format. This failure ultimately forced the selectors to drop him from the squad.

Even though India is struggling to find a good player at number 4, Yuvraj should not be called back soon.

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is one of India's most technical batsman. The Mumbai opener batted in the middle order for India in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. With Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan solidifying their positions with brilliant performances, Rahane has no other option but to go down the order. However, Rahane's ODI strike rate is a meager 78. In modern day cricket where even 300+ scores are easy chased, such a strike rate is below par. Even his batting average of 35 is mediocre.

Rahane's 2018 Vijay Hazare trophy campaign has seen a brilliant 148 against a strong Karnataka and a gritty half-century against Baroda. However, India should not take a risk by calling "Jinx" back before the World Cup.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir scored a gritty 97 in the 2011 world cup final.

Gautam Gambhir has been in scintillating form in the 2018 Vijay Hazare trophy. He has scored at least 35 in every single innings of the tournament so far, which includes a mammoth 151 against Kerala. The hero of India's World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011 does deserve a spot in the national ODI team but recalling him will do no favour for anyone.

For India, the long-term opening pair is Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. They have given India some blistering starts. Therefore India should not rush Gambhir's return as it will only create chaos in the settled top-order.