4 Players who might never represent India again

In India, cricket is not a sport but a religion. Everyone aspires to be one and even if one is half as talented as legends like Sachin Tendulkar or Zaheer Khan, merely talent is not enough. There have a plethora of cricketers despite being talented not making it to the Indian team. And even if they managed to break their way into the playing XI, just standing the test of time was another challenge.

The current Indian team is in great form and just a year left for the World Cup, the management might not call the living legends for another comeback. Here are four players who might not get a chance to represent the Indian National Team ever again.

However, for all that the veterans have offered to the game and the country, they deserve every bit of fame and respect.

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#4 Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra

The only good thing that came off Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh's injuries in 2007 was Amit Mishra's rise in the Indian Test Team. Having played ODIs before in 2003, Mishra had to wait quite a bit before becoming a regular player for the side.

Even in IPL, he has always been a consistent wicket-taker and is the first player in IPL history to take three hat-tricks. His time cameos as a lower order batsman have also proved fruitful on sporadic occasions.

Mishra was included in the squad for India's 2016 tour of West Indies, which included 5/18 in the final ODI that helped India win the series 3–2 and earned him the Player of the Series.

Despite being a consistent performer throughout his career, Mishra might not be able to make a comeback once again, thanks to brilliant domestic and international performances of younger counterparts. Now at 35, he would still need more than talent to break into the team, which seems highly improbable.

#3 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir's career as an Indian Player started as early as 2003. One of the most reliable openers of his generation, Gambhir is the only Indian batsman to have scored more than 300 runs in four consecutive Test series. Playing an integral part in India's wins in the finals of both the 2007 World Twenty20 and the 2011 Cricket World Cup, he is highly adaptive to all formats of the game and has proved his mettle countless times.

In IPL, he captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to victories in 2012 and 2014.

After a long hiatus from International cricket, Gambhir was recalled for the Test-Match series against New Zealand, after showing good form in domestic cricket, but he failed to live up to the expectations. Players like Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan seem to have cemented their positions as the first-choice openers, and Gambhir may soon have to retire from the game for good.

#2 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh has been playing for the Indian Cricket Team since 1998 when he was merely 17 years old. What started off as a career initially affected by investigations into the legality of his bowling action, as well as several disciplinary incidents to later on becoming one of the best off-spinners in the history of the game. "Bhajji" became the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in Test cricket.

A career which was full of ups and downs had Harbhajan fighting day in and out to make his place in the playing XI. Throughout the late 2000s, he was criticised for bowling defensively with less loop leading to lesser wickets and increasing bowling average. But the warrior in him never gave up.

Harbhajan last played for India in March 2016, and it is highly unlikely that he would represent the country once again. With younger talent like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, the 37-year old may have to hang up his boots once and for all.

#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh needs no introduction. An 18-year veteran of the game, Singh made his ODI debut in October 2000 against Kenya. Who knew a young Punjabi boy from Chandigarh would go on to become one of the fiercest batsmen of his generation? From hitting six sixes in an over and scoring the fastest T-20 fifty to becoming the man of the tournament at the 2011 ICC World Cup, Yuvi has come a long way to become a heartthrob for the nation.

He even battled cancer and made a phenomenal comeback to defy all odds and prove why he is a man of steel.

Sadly, at 36 years old, Yuvraj is no longer in his prime and may not play for India again. Owing to the failure in clearing the yo-yo test, he was dropped from the squad before the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2017. With an influx of younger talent, the Southpaw might have to see the doors pretty soon.