5 players who missed out in India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy

Amidst all the hullaballoo surrounding India’s Champions Trophy participation, the 15 member squad was finally announced earlier today.

Rohit Sharma who last played an ODI in October against New Zealand makes his return to the side and Shikhar Dhawan would most likely open the innings along with him in the absence of KL Rahul.

Veterans MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh were included in the squad and they might be playing their last Champions Trophy ever.

Extra Cover: MSK Prasad reveals why Pant and Kuldeep weren't picked, defends Dhoni's selection

However, there were a few players who found themselves extremely unlucky to not be picked given the fact that they have been extremely impressive at the domestic stage and the IPL over the past 12 months or so.

Here are the 5 players to have missed out in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 squad:

#5 Rishabh Pant

The youngster has mesmerised everyone with his performances with the bat over the past year or so. Ever since he made his debut for the Indian U-19 cricket team, he has made huge strides and is definitely one for the future.

Due to his impressive domestic performances, he was included in the squad for the T20I series against England earlier this year and even made his debut in the T20I in Bengaluru.

He has shown his prowess in the Indian Premier League as well. He probably should have opened the innings for the Delhi Daredevils and been utilised a lot more effectively. However, his 97 run knock against the Gujarat Lions will never be forgotten.

There was a lot of speculation about his selection in the Champions Trophy squad as a backup wicketkeeper but the selectors decided against picking him.

#4 Yuzvendra Chahal

A former international chess player, Yuzvendra Chahal made his cricketing debut back in 2009 but came to prominence only after his success with the Royal Challengers Bangalore a few years ago. He was their leading wicket-taker in 2015 and 2016 and thus earned his India call up in the ODIs and T20Is against Zimbabwe last year.

He was included in the T20Is against England earlier this year as well and achieved reasonable success with the ball.

With only Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as the two main spinners in the side, fans were expecting to see a third spinner included as well with Chahal being one of the preferred options. However, the selectors decided to go with the extra pacer instead.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav

This 22-year-old impressed everyone with his performances in the U-19 World Cup back in 2014 and has made great strides ever since. A left-arm chinaman bowler, Kuldeep has been equally impressive at the first-class domestic tournaments and the Indian Premier League as well.

He has the ability to pick up wickets at crucial junctures in the match and contain the opposition’s run-rate as well – something which he has successfully done time and again for the Kolkata Knight Riders this season.

He made his Test debut for India against Australia this year and picked up 4 wickets in his first innings. The 22-year-old will now have to wait to make his mark at the big stage. However, he has a lot of time on his side and if he continues to perform the way he currently is, the wait will not be too long.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

This 31-year-old wicket-keeper batsman from Tamil Nadu had an extremely impressive domestic season as he finished as one of the leading run-getters in the Ranji Trophy this season and in the tournaments which succeeded that as well.

He transferred his good run of form into the IPL as well and has provided a lot of stability in the middle order for the Gujarat Lions.

Having made his ODI debut as a youngster way back in 2004, he has a lot of experience on his side and would have been a healthy addition to the squad.

Unfortunately, he was not selected and his chances to play another ICC tournament look bleak right now with a lot of youngsters coming to the fore.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

This 35-year-old veteran would feel hard done by his non-selection in the side given his current form and the success he has achieved over the past couple of years or so.

He has proved to be one of the best captains in the IPL as well and has lifted the title twice with Kolkata Knight Riders. Under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership this year, KKR have looked an extremely solid unit and with the way they are going, they could be well on their way to achieving their third IPL title.

With KL Rahul’s absence in the side, Gambhir should have probably been the preferred choice over the inconsistent Shikhar Dhawan but the latter has proved to be successful in ICC tournaments in the past hence the selectors would have kept that in mind will choosing the squad.