CWC 2019: Three Indians from the current squad who might playing their last tournament

Australia v India ODI Series Captains Trophy
Australia v India ODI Series Captains Trophy

The most awaited event in the cricketing world is just around the corner and teams have started off preparations so that they can lay their hands on the coveted cup. Squads have been announced, venues have been finalized and some teams have even left for England.

India too has announced it 15-member squad for the World Cup. The squad seems to be a strong one with a good mix of experience and youth. There are some seasoned campaigners like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli and some young blood in the form of Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya.

While some players are playing their third or even fourth World Cup, there are certain players who are playing their first, like KL Rahul and most of the bowling department.

The last time India won the World Cup, the cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar played his last World Cup after appearances in 6 editions of the tournament. Though the 2015 edition of the World Cup did not see any Indian bid goodbye to the World Cup, this year is going to be quite an emotional one for the fans as one of the legends of the game can be playing his last World Cup.

Along with him, there are a couple of players who will be playing their last World Cup.

Let us have a look at 3 players from the current squad who might not feature in the prestigious tournament after 2019.


#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan might be playing his last World Cup in 2019
Shikhar Dhawan might be playing his last World Cup in 2019

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

There is no other man who performs as well as him when it comes to the big tournaments. Shikhar Dhawan has been the highest run scorer in both the previous editions of the Champions Trophy and was also the highest scorer for India in the 2015 World Cup. He has been one of the consistent players for India and the team will expect him to be amongst the runs even in this World Cup.

Though this will be Dhawan's second World Cup appearance, it will, in all probability, also be his last World Cup appearance. There is no doubt or question about his batting skills. However, age is what will not support the southpaw.

Dhawan is currently 33 years old and will turn 34 before the end of the year. The next World Cup will be held in 2023, by then he will be more than 37 years old. It would be quite safe to say that his reflexes will slow down and he will not remain the same batsman then as he is now.

More than that, there is a lot of young talent in India right now in the form of Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, etc. With such talent maturing and having a lot of energy, there is high probability that he will not be a part of the team by then.

#2 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav has been an important part of the squad since 2017.
Kedar Jadhav has been an important part of the squad since 2017.

Kedar Jadhav will be playing his maiden World Cup in 2019. He has been a solution to India's middle order woes and has proved his capabilities as a No. 6 batsman time and again. He has been involved in a lot of successful run chases, the most famous one being where he scored a century alongside his skipper Virat Kohli to lift his team from 63-4 to finishing the chase.

Thought Jadhav is in good form, this is going to be the only World Cup that he might play. The reason is his age. He is already 34 years of age and the next World Cup will be held in 2023 by when Jadhav will be more than 38 years old.

Also, with emerging talent in India, players of his age will be replaced as their form will not remain the same and the batsmen and bowlers will have read his game and it would be easy to get the better of him.

Thus, it would be quite right to predict that this can be the last World Cup that Jadhav will be playing and we might not see him featuring in this prestigious tournament again.

#3 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The legend can be  playing his last World Cup this year
The legend can be playing his last World Cup this year

The man, the myth, the legend.

The only captain to win all the ICC tournaments and holder of numerous such records, MS Dhoni is most likely playing his last World Cup this year. He has been a part of 3 World Cup squads starting from 2011. He has 341 ODI appearances and might be bidding good bye to the World Cup this year. It is going to be an emotional moment for his fans as he is hailed as God in his home state and in the Southern states of India.

There were a lot of speculations in early 2018 as to whether Dhoni would be playing the 2019 World Cup due to his poor run with the bat. However, he has emerged stronger from that and has been amongst the runs since the beginning of 2019.

It will hard to find someone who can replace this legend. Arguably the best cricketing brain in the world, he assists the spinners better than some pitches and his ability to take the game deep and finish it off in style is well known.

India would want to make it a fairytale goodbye for him by winning the World Cup.

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