5 cricketers who might not play for India again

#4 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik

The Tamil Nadu-lad is perhaps the unluckiest Indian cricketer of the modern era. He is a classy batsman suited for all conditions but his whole career spanned in the MS Dhoni-era. The selectors didn’t look beyond Dhoni for over a decade for the wicketkeeper’s slot and hence Karthik spent most of his playing days in domestic cricket.

He made it to the Indian side a couple of times in the Champions Trophy 2013 and 2017 purely because of his batting. The right-hander was also a part of the squad for the Windies tour but post that, he was dropped. With so many talented young batsmen emerging one after the other, Karthik’s international career could well have ended.

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Indian cricket has been on a rampage in the past few months. The team has been winning big across formats that has taken them to No.1 in Test and ODI rankings. A bunch of youngsters has emerged that has taken the game by storm. The team has been focusing on preparing a core team for the 2019 ODI World Cup and they have found plenty of options to choose from. The emergence of youngsters has brought a bad news for the aging cricketers. There has been an increased importance being given to the fitness of the players. If the players are not fit enough, they are not considered for selection, the thing that has happened to a few veterans of late.

Here are the 5 players who might never play for India

#1 Yuvraj Singh

The hero of 2 World Cup victories has had a tough time of late. After recovering from cancer, he hadn't been able to find a prominent place in the squad. He remained in and out of the side and his fitness wasn't getting better at any stage. Although Yuvraj Singh made a stunning comeback to the ODI squad by smashing 150 in an ODI against England earlier this year, he couldn't continue the form post that. He last played for India on the tour to the Caribbean 2 months ago but didn't look in a great nick. The left-hander was in the consideration for selection until the Sri Lanka tour. But he failed the fitness test prior to the selection and hence was omitted from the squad. The chances look bleak for the southpaw to make a return and we might have seen the last of Yuvraj in Indian colors.

#2 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir
The Delhi-lad was a permanent member of the Indian side across all formats for a number of years. He is the unsung hero of India's triumphs in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup as he was the leading run-getter for the country in both finals. Additionally, he played an instrumental role in taking the side to No.1 ranking in Tests in 2008. But a dip in form and the emergence of openers like Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan showed Gambhir the exit. He made a return to the Test side last year against England where he scored a half-century. But the return of the regular openers led to his exclusion from the troop. With India having plenty of young openers to choose from, Gautam Gambhir's selection looks close to impossible at the moment.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
The off-spinner was one of the biggest match-winners for India during his peak. When he first burst onto the scene, he won so many matches for India, one of those being the Australia Test series in 2001 in which he bagged 32 wickets from 3 matches. The owner of 711 international wickets was also a part of the 2 World Cup victories for India. But the lack of form and the emergence of Ravichandran Ashwin led to his exclusion from the side. Nowadays, team India is blessed with a flurry of quality spinners. The biggest competition in the side is in the spin department. Harbhajan currently looks nowhere in contention for a place in any of the formats for the nation.

#4 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik
The Tamil Nadu-lad is perhaps the unluckiest Indian cricketer of the modern era. He is a classy batsman suited for all conditions but his whole career spanned in the MS Dhoni-era. The selectors didn't look beyond Dhoni for over a decade for the wicketkeeper's slot and hence Karthik spent most of his playing days in domestic cricket. He made it to the Indian side a couple of times in the Champions Trophy 2013 and 2017 purely because of his batting. The right-hander was also a part of the squad for the Windies tour but post that, he was dropped. With so many talented young batsmen emerging one after the other, Karthik's international career could well have ended.

#5 Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra
The tall left-arm pacer is one of those who could swing the ball miles at pace. His initial days in Indian team were stunning as he became a regular feature in both Tests and ODIs. But his career was heavily marred by injuries. He has had to undergo several surgeries which kept him out of the side more often than not. A revolution has happened in his game in the past couple of years as he transformed himself as a specialist T20 bowler. He performed brilliantly in the IPL that earned him a place in India's T20I side. He last played a game for the country earlier this year against England. But since that game, he has been overlooked by the selectors and at the age of 38, Nehra might not find a place back again.