6 big names whose World Cup dream is as good as over

The national selectors selected squads for the sole Test against Afghanistan, T20 series against Ireland and limited overs series of the England tour. The ODI team selection was one of the most crucial ones. With the 2019 World Cup just over a year away, every series becomes important. Since the World Cup is also going to be held in England, it makes this series even more critical. While most of the selections were expected, there were a few that gave us the indication of the selectors' mindset and which players are in the scheme of things for the World Cup. Some big names are missing from the ODI team, therefore putting a big question mark over their selection for the mega event.

We will look at 6 players whose World Cup dream is as good as over.

#6 Axar Patel

Axar Patel celebrating a wicket with Kohli

Axar Patel had a terrific start to his international career as he established himself as a bowling all-rounder in the ODI team. He was able to strangle the batsmen for runs and also took crucial wickets in the middle overs. Even though his batting was below par, he compensated it with his accurate bowling and agile fielding.

However, Axar hasn't been in the best of form off late. He made a comeback to the Indian side in the series against South Africa after a long layoff due to an injury but didn't have the best of the time in the only T20 he played on the tour. Axar's lackluster performance has continued in IPL as well, as he has struggled to play for Kings XI Punjab. With time running out, it is highly unlikely that the 24-year-old will be seen in India colors anytime soon.

#5 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami played a pivotal role in India reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup 2015. The pacer has the ability to trouble the batsman at the start of the inning with his pace and provides a wicket-taking option to the team. Unfortunately, he hasn't been consistent. After the World Cup, there has been a major dip in Shami's ODI form. Moreover, his counterparts like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have risen in ranks, making it tough for other fast bowlers to get a look in. Shami has been injury prone and has thus missed a lot of series too. He has also been guilty of bowling loose balls almost every over, thus being expensive.

It seems that the selectors want Shami to concentrate more on test cricket because his style of bowling suits the longer format more. Also, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah putting in strong performances, and Umesh Yadav getting back in form, Shami might not be part of India's ODI side anymore.

#4 Manish Pandey

A lot was expected from Manish Pandey when he made his international debut for India in 2015. He broke through in the side at the back of some outstanding performances in the domestic circuit and IPL. After sitting on the bench for a long time, Pandey finally announced himself by hitting a match-winning century against Australia in 2016. After his strong show, he was backed by the team management to play in the middle-order. But unfortunately, he hasn't been able to live up to the expectations. He has often been found throwing away his wicket by playing irresponsible shots which has cost India quite a few matches.

Untimely injuries have also hampered Pandey's career. Just when he was about to cement a place in the Indian team, he got injured before the Champions trophy last year and has struggled to get back in top form since then. Selectors have finally run out of patience and have dropped him from the ODI side. With the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, and Sanju Samson putting up some strong performances, a comeback in the side looks far-fetched for Pandey.

#3 Ravindra Jadeja

After trying out various players for the role of an all-rounder, the Indian team management finally settled on Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja possesses a good batting technique and his sharp bowling was always hard for the batsmen to score easy runs. He is also arguably the best fielder in the country. But with the rise of Hardik Pandya, Jadeja seems to have gone out of favor. One of the major factors for his exclusion from the ODI side is his inability to score quick runs when needed.

Also, with time, batsmen have started reading Jadeja better and he has gone for plenty of runs. His dismal show in the Champions Trophy 2017 convinced the selectors to look for other options. With, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav grabbing every opportunity presented to them, Jadeja will have to wait for his chance.

#2 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane has failed to score big runs in ODI cricket

Ajinkya Rahane's place in the ODI team has always been a matter of debate. Rahane's superior technique has never been doubted, but his style of batting doesn't seem to be suited for limited overs cricket. He has had decent success opening the innings, but with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul providing attacking options to the team management, Rahane was pushed to the middle-order. In the middle overs, Rahane has struggled to rotate strike, especially against spinners. He has been in and out of the side and his ODI career never really took off.

With a lot of options available in the middle order, the selectors have dropped Rahane and his dream of representing India in yet another World Cup might have ended.

#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

Can — Ashwin was once India's go-to bowler in ODI cricket

One player who must be most disappointed after the team selection for England ODIs should be Ravi Ashwin. The off-spinner is one of the best spinners in the country and his recent performances have been pretty impressive. Ashwin was dropped from the side after a lean patch in ODIs which started from a poor Champions Trophy. Younger spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were preferred, both of whom haven't looked back since then. The selectors did decide to select an off-spinner for the series. However, they selected young Washington Sundar and not Ashwin, which shows that they see Ashwin primarily as a test bowler.

With not much ODI cricket left before the World Cup, Ashwin might not feature in India's World Cup squad.