5 players who might lose their spot in the Indian ODI side after IPL 2018

The IPL is considered as a platform for Indian cricketers to prove their ability and fitness levels required to be selected for the national side. Several players have made the cut to the Indian team on the back of successful IPL stints. However, the reverse can also be held true.

A player who is already a part of the national setup, or in the radar of the selectors, might end up losing the attention of the administrators due to a poor IPL performance. This is primarily because of an emergence of fresh faces who push for a position in the side after a fruitful IPL season.

As IPL 2018 enters its second half, let us have a look at five such players who were part of India's limited overs team in recently concluded series but owing to lack of IPL performance, may not be able to garner enough confidence to get the nod for future international consignments.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 less than a year away and teams starting to build their core, it is about time that these players regain form.

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#1 Manish Pandey

Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey had his most memorable day this year when he was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping ₹11 crores, but his joy may well be cut short if he ends up being overlooked by the Indian selectors in the coming months.

Eight matches into this season, the right-handed middle-order batsman has only managed to score 158 runs at a dismal strike rate of 112.85.

The reason that his failures have not glared as much is that Hyderabad is winning matches on the back of their strong defending skills.

Not just this, his inability to cement a position in the ODI team even after being given a long run in the middle order raises concerns regarding his temperament for the international level.

With just a year to go for the World Cup, Virat Kohli and the management will be looking to finalise the most likely probable for the marquee event and if he does not start batting maturely, Pandey may very well lose out on an opportunity to represent his country in a world event.

His position in the Indian team is also vulnerable due to the IPL batting exploits of state-mate KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu.

#2 Mohammad Shami

All is not well for Mohammad Shami

The sun has not been shining brightly for Mohammad Shami since the last couple of months. Having battled personal controversies to land a national contract and just managing to be fit before the start of IPL after a minor road accident, Indian ace bowler Shami may soon face the axe from the limited overs Indian team.

Already warming the bench in the presence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as far as ODI's are concerned, Shami may find it tough to find a spot in the Indian squad after a less than a satisfactory stint with Delhi Daredevils.

Having picked only three wickets in the first four matches at an expensive economy rate of 10.40 and a non-acceptable average of 48, Shami has lost the faith of the Delhi management and it seems highly unlikely that they will include him for the rest of their do or die matches.

With Umesh Yadav coming up with stellar performances at RCB, it becomes more difficult for Shami to be able to make it to the squad even as the first reserve bowler.

#3 Axar Patel

Axar Patel might just fade away due to lack of opportunity

Axar Patel was the only player retained by Kings XI Punjab prior to the 2018 auction. Two games into the tournament though, newly appointed captain Ashwin found a winning formula that did not accommodate the left arm orthodox bowler.

In Axar's case, it is more of lack of playing opportunities rather than performance that could prove detrimental. It is not a new thing for an Indian team to overlook consistent performances by a left-arm slow bowler, with Murali Karthik and Pragyan Ojha being shining examples from the past.

Also, with Ashwin finding his mojo and leading Punjab with confidence, it could well be a case of one finger spinner replacing another in the Indian team, as Ashwin is also fighting hard to make a comeback in an era of the wrist spinners.

#4 Washington Sundar

Sundar will have to work harder to find his lost touch

18-year-old Washington Sundar came into IPL 2018 with a decent reputation. He had a successful debut season with Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 before ending the Tamil Nadu Premier League as it's highest run-getter as well as second highest wicket-taker.

He was adjudged as the Man of the Series in the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy and was riding high on confidence.

Acquired by RCB for ₹4 crores, Sundar was expected to deliver the goods by his craftful off-spin bowling, most effective in the powerplay and also add muscle to their batting lower down the order.

However, this IPL has not quite gone the way he would have wished. With just four wickets in seven games at an average of 48 and an economy rate of 9.6, the Tamil Nadu offie has dented his chances of being picked for the forthcoming assignments with the Indian team.

More so, the fact that he has not been able to deliver what was expected of him under the captaincy of Indian skipper Kohli might not play well in his favour as the captain may have lost confidence in his young bowler.

Having said that, the teenager still has a long way to go and all of this will serve as a great learning curve.

#5 Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat will have to start picking up more wickets for his team's success

With a price tag of ₹11.5 crores at the 2018 auctions, Jaydev Unadkat was over the moon for he had become the highest bid Indian bowler in the history of the league.

Coming into the tournament on the back of a Man of the Series performance in a home T20I series against a weak Sri Lankan outfit and after being IPL 2017's second highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps in 12 games, the left arm pacer was touted as being Rajasthan's go to the bowler this season.

Eight matches into the league though, the Bengal pacer has only managed seven wickets that have come at a costly 39 runs per wicket and more than 10 runs per over.

Moreover, the factors that elevate Unadkat's unsuccessful campaign so far are his huge price tag which not just puts him under greater pressure but also makes the people following the game question his performance.

Having put in a lot of hard work and effort to make the Indian team, he shall be looking to pull up his socks and not just better his personal performance but also help his team in forthcoming crunch encounters.

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