Indian Cricket Team Seniors: What the future has in store for them

Gautam Gambhir:

Elegant, classy and effective, but what about lucky?

Yes, Rahul Dravid was the analogue of Christopher Nolan's Batman in the Indian team. But if there is another man to rival Dravid's claim to the throne, then it is certainly the Delhi lad Gautam Gambhir.

Going about his task in silence, his accumulating innings were often overshadowed by his more flamboyant teammates: be it his 75 in the 2007 WT20 final, his consistent performances Down Under in 2008, or the 97 in the 2011 WC Final. Though he has been charismatic while leading KKR in the IPL, producing inspiring innings on a regular basis, he has not quite been on the radar of the selectors.

Among all the players on this list, Gambhir perhaps has the least chance of clawing his way back into the team, because of a multitude of reasons: he's almost 36, and will be past 37 by the time of the next WC; he is an opening batsman, and out of all the areas, India's opening department is of the least concern due to the well-established pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan; and finally, due to his spats with current Indian team skipper Virat Kohli in the IPL.

Although he deserves a farewell series for his contributions, much like anyone else on this list, the chances of that happening are quite slim.