5 Indians who might not make it to the World Cup 2019 squad

With less than 365 days left for the World Cup 2019, all the teams are gearing up for the mega event. The biggest cricket event will kick start on May 30 with the hosts England taking on South Africa at The Oval in London in the tournament-opener.

India, currently second in the ICC ODI Rankings, is one of the favourites to win the title. The Men in Blue will start their campaign against the Proteas at Southampton on 5 June.

While there are a lot of matches left before the tournament, the clock is ticking for the players who are currently out of the ODI setup. Virat Kohli and the team management along with the selectors have already sorted out the core team for the World Cup.

The Indian team is looking in great form with only a few concerns in some of the departments. Estimating by the current form and fitness, let us find those players for whom getting into the World Cup squad seems nearly impossible.

---

#5 Mohammed Shami

Shami has been dropped from the ODI team

Mohammed Shami was at the peak of his bowling form when he picked up 15 wickets in the Test series against South Africa. He was the highest wicket-taker for the Indian team and played a crucial role in winning the third Test against the Proteas.

A series of controversies had piled on Shami about his personal life which affected him mentally. Firstly, the BCCI contract was almost terminated and then the IPL contract. Fortunately, he got to play in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils.

The Bengal fast-bowler struggled in this IPL season and took only three wickets in 4 matches at an economy more than 10. He has been dropped from India’s ODI squad for the all-important tour to England.

He will not only have to stay mentally strong but also need to find his form to get back into the contention. With very spots left in the fast bowling department, it seems difficult for Shami to find any place.

#4 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj has been struggling with both form and fitness

Yuvraj Singh has been a champion player throughout his career and has always contributed when the team needs the most. He was Man of the Series in World Cup 2011 and played a pivotal role in the team's success.

After getting diagnosed with lung cancer, the southpaw has not only struggled with his form but also with his fitness. He had failed the Yo-Yo test after Virat Kohli and the team management decided to make this test as selection criteria.

Yuvraj recently passed the test marginally and worked very hard on his fitness. In the last 5-6 years, he has made several comebacks but failed to cement his place in the squad.

In this edition of IPL, Yuvraj was far away from his best and accumulated only 65 runs in 8 matches at a poor strike rate of 89.04. With the current form, it seems he might not make it in the World Cup squad.

#3 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane has failed to replicate his Test form in the ODI format.

After the ODI squad was announced for the England tour, Ajinkya Rahane was the prominent name missing from the team. He has been struggling in the ODI format and had failed to perform in the previous ODI series against the Proteas.

In the South Africa series, Rahane batted at No. 4 in almost all the matches but scored only one half-century. He accumulated 140 runs in 6 games with a strike rate of 76.92 which is quite low by the ODI standards. Overall, his career strike rate of 78.82 and an average of below 40 does not stamp the authority for the ODI spot.

The Mumbai batsman led Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs but did not look in great form with the bat. Rahane will be playing in whites only, and with players like Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Kartik and Lokesh Rahul already in the ODI team, the path to World Cup 2019 seems highly unlikely for him.

#2 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey had an ordinary outing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018

Manish Pandey was one of the big highlights in this year's auction as Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for a whopping Rs. 11 crore. He was bought as the fulcrum of this SRH middle-order but had a disappointing season by his standards.

The Karnataka batsman had scored 284 runs in 15 matches with only three half-centuries to his name. In fact, he got dropped from the team in the qualifiers and was warming the bench.

Pandey had a great start to his ODI career when he scored a match-winning hundred against Australia in Sydney. Since then he never played a big inning for the team. In ODI 22 matches for India, he has scored 432 runs at an average below 40.

Pandey is currently out of the ODI team and included only in the T20 squad. He will have to make a huge impact in the T20 matches and gain back Kohli's confidence which will be very difficult to achieve in a short span.

#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin has been out of the ODI team for almost a year

Ravichandran Ashwin, who started off as a limited overs specialist, is now out of the ODI format. The loss in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final to Pakistan had forced the Indian think tank to rethink about grey areas which include the ineffectiveness of the spinners in the middle-overs.

Since the World Cup 2015, Ashwin was ineffective and also criticized for bowling flat. His wicket-taking ability in the middle overs has been missing out from his armoury which is why he got dropped from the ODI team. In the IPL 2018, he picked up only ten wickets in 14 matches and never looked threatening.

Considering the England conditions, there will be only three spots for the spinners. Chahal and Kuldeep have already sealed their spots.

Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are the likely candidates for the remaining spot. In comparison with these two players, Ashwin lacks in batting and fielding which might go against him and lose the spot for the mega event.

---

Which of these players do you think will make it to the World Cup squad of India? Tell us in the comments below!