Five India Players Who Might Not Get A Chance Under The New Selection Committee

The committee of selectors for India’s men’s team witnessed a change of guard recently. With the end of tenure for MSK Prasad and Gagan Khoda, Sunil Joshi and Harvinder were named as their replacements to take the job.

The two new men were also the ones who picked the squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa.

Also Read: India Vs South Africa 2020: Three Players Who Might Not Get A Single Game During The ODI Series

Ever since the news perpetrated of the appointment of the new selection committee, the fans have had a lot of expectations. Under the former, the Men in Blue sustained plenty of close and heartbreaking losses.

Hence, the fans are hoping that the latest ones and subsequently, the think-tank wouldn’t make severe selection lapses.

On that note, we take a look at five players who might not get a chance under the new selection committee

Khaleel Ahmed:

Over the last few years, India have produced fast bowlers of high quality. Even in the case of injuries to their first-choice pace bowlers, India possesses deadly fast bowlers to replace those.

The likes of Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, and Navdeep Saini have put their hands up in critical situations with the bat and ball.

Amongst those, Khaleel Ahmed was also a promising prospect. Having made his debut in 2018, Ahmed delivered good enough returns to remain in the reckoning.

However, as time passed by, he became a liability. The 22-year-old has 15 and 13 wickets at 31 and 35.31 in ODIs and T20Is respectively.

In the first T20I against Bangladesh back in November, Mushfiqur Rahim took him to the cleaners at the death. Hence, in the scenario all India’s frontline bowlers are fit, he could never find a spot.

Kedar Jadhav:

Kedar Jadhav has always had a start-stop career for India.

The Maharasthra-born all-rounder is an exceptionally handy cricketer with a batting average of 42 and a penchant for breaking set partnerships through his part-time bowling.

After Suresh Raina, Jadhav is one of the few cricketers which the Indian selectors have pushed hard to cement a spot in the middle-order.

However, his recent performances suggest that his career could be over. Since the World Cup, the 34-year old has played only eight ODIs, making a high score of 40.

Due to his age and with the emergence of candidates like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Manish Pandey, the doors for Jadhav looks closed.

Dinesh Karthik:

Dinesh Karthik was someone who made his debut even before Mahendra Singh Dhoni did. Soon after Dhoni swooped in out of nowhere and cemented his position. That kept Karthik out of the side for a good while as Dhoni was undroppable.

However, in the T20I arena, the 34-year old made his limited chances count.

His selection ahead of Rishabh Pant for the 2019 World Cup received widespread criticism. Karthik also failed to make an impact in the semi-final when promoted to number five.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu batsman did express his desire to play the T20 World Cup in 2020.

However, with several candidates already in the frame, the veteran could be left out.

Shahbaz Nadeem:

This could be one surprise; however, things might not be as smooth for Shahbaz Nadeem.

Having made his first-class debut way back in 2004, the left-arm spinner received his first Test cap in 2019. Nadeem did take four wickets and repaid the faith the selectors kept in him.

However, going forward, he may not be a first-choice candidate in the Test team.

The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have solidified their spots in the line-up. After an unsuccessful Test tour of New Zealand, the new selectors could be relying upon the experienced crew to rebuild instead of newbies.

MS Dhoni:

Amongst all the aforementioned cricketers, the focus is the most on how will the selectors treat MS Dhoni. Not only has Dhoni not played a game since July 2019, but he has also been dropped from the contract list of the BCCI.

There was a rumour that the keeper-batsman may give his word in January regarding his comeback; however, he hadn’t announced anything.

Recently, the selectors said that the veteran must put on an imposing show in the IPL 2020 to claim a berth for the T20 World Cup. While there is no debate that the former captain is integral to India’s chances at the mega event this year, the selection panel may not entirely feel that way. They could be more inclined to push the youngsters, signalling that they have moved on from Dhoni.

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