IPL 2019: Five Indian players who need a good tournament to confirm a place in the World Cup squad

As the Indian Premier League is nearing its start all eyes will be on some of the players who are in contention for a World Cup spot. This IPL 2019 would be a crucial one for some of the players to confirm their ticket to England.

The World Cup is just months away and India recently losing an ODI series at home against a weaker Australian team has certainly raised some questions. Some players' spot in the team has suddenly come under scrutiny before the World Cup.

So let's have a look at 5 such Indian players who desperately need a good IPL 2019 to book their place in the team for the World Cup.

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#5 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu needs a good IPL to win back the faith of the selectors.

One has to feel for Ambati Rayudu, as he has been constantly under the scanner despite his good performances for the country. Rayudu averages 47.0 in ODI cricket scoring 1694 runs with 3 centuries and batting at No.4, he averages 41.67 scoring 750 runs in the process.

But despite Rayudu's impressive performances for the team, his place is not always a certainty. In the recently concluded home series against Australia, Rayudu was benched for the last two ODIs. In the previous series in New Zealand, Rayudu batted magnificently and played a couple of match-winning knocks, where he scored 190 runs at an average of 63.33.

Rayudu has never been given a breathing space in the team and by benching him in the last two ODIs against Australia the team management has given clear indications that they are not going to be very patient with him.

Rayudu made a comeback into the ODI team on the back of a superb IPL 2018 for his franchise CSK. So he needs to repeat his last season's performances again in this season of IPL to ensure his ticket to England.

#4 KL Rahul

India v Australia - T20I: Game 2

The year 2019 didn't start well for KL Rahul mostly because of his off-field controversies. Rahul and Hardik Pandya were in the eye of a massive storm for their sexist comments on the TV show "Koffee with Karan". They were even suspended from the team and were called off from the on-going Australia tour.

However, the suspension was eventually revoked and Rahul made his comeback for the series against Australia at home. He just played in the one match of the series at Mohali where he batted at No.3 and managed to score just 26 runs.

Rahul's ODI career has never flourished and to be fair enough he hasn't got any chances consistently at one batting position. He is primarily an opener and with India being blessed with two world-class openers in the form of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, it is highly unlikely that he will get a chance at that position if both of them are fit.

There is no question of him batting at No.3 either as that number belongs to the King Virat Kohli himself. With selectors often showing reluctance with Rayudu, it is possible that Rahul is tried at No.4.

Rahul's ODI stats have not been that great, where he has scored 343 runs at an average of 34.30 in 14 innings. He bats best in the opening position as he averages 56 and his performances in the rest of the position is not worth mentioning.

So Rahul can make it to the World Cup squad as a backup opener or as an option for the No.4 spot. But for that to happen he needs to fire some big runs in the IPL 2019.

#3 Vijay Shankar

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 4

Vijay Shankar came as a surprise entry in the list of the World Cup probable's for team India. He made his debut in Australia but he didn't get to bat there. He also played in the New Zealand series where he batted just once in three matches and impressed everyone with a knock of 45 on a bowling friendly pitch before getting run out.

Shankar played in all of the 5 matches against Australia in the recently concluded series. He caught the eye with his strike rotation, lofted hits and sparkling cameos. His rocket throws from the deep and the ability to save runs on the field also impressed everyone. He is not quite a power hitter with the bat but he can play some delightful authentic cricket shots.

Vijay's 46 off 41 balls on an uneven Nagpur pitch was one of his stand out performances. In that match, he also won the game with his bowling in the last over.

So, Shankar is a genuine all-rounder who looks class with the bat, can bowl some overs and is a great ground fielder. With the bat, he has shown that he can be an option for the No.4 slot if others fail.

In the series decider against Australia in Delhi, Shankar had the golden opportunity to put the doubts to rest by winning the match with the bat but he failed. Now the IPL becomes even more crucial for him to turn the heads towards him by performing both with the bat and the balvijkal.

#2 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik needs a great IPL more than ever this year.

Just like Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik is also one of the unlucky cricketers who seem to not get picked in the team despite some good performances. Karthik has never been a regularity in team India, which is quite surprising for a batsman of his caliber.

Karthik made his international debut before MS Dhoni but he has only managed to be a floater in the team. With the rise of Dhoni, the chance of Karthik playing in the team as a wicket-keeper batsman was gone. But because of his batting prowess at the domestic level, Karthik kept knocking the doors.

Karthik has made several comebacks into the team and the latest was against West Indies in 2017. Since 2017, he has been in a golden touch and we have witnessed him playing the role of a finisher as well. But unfortunately, he has not been backed by the selectors.

Karthik was dropped in the last series at home against Australia while KL Rahul, despite being in the worst form of his life, was picked. Karthik was averaging 68 in the last 9 ODI innings prior to the series while Rahul was averaging just 15 in the same amount of innings.

Without MS Dhoni at No.5, India looked clueless in the last two ODIs against Australia at home. So, someone experienced like Karthik would be very much useful at No.6 to finish the game. He can also be used at No.4 as he is very much capable batsman to bat at that position.

But for that, Karthik has to perform well in the IPL 2019. A bad performance here may result in selectors looking beyond him for the World Cup squad.

#1 Rishabh Pant

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 4

If anyone is desperate to have a smashing IPL 2019, then it has to be Rishabh Pant. Pant has been under a lot of pressure since the day he has made his debut for team India. His performance is always directly being compared with that of the great MS Dhoni.

In Test cricket, Pant has definitely made his mark with a century each in England and Australia. But his limited over's career seems to be going wayward at the moment. He is finding it hard to get going and looked clueless about his role with the bat.

In the recently concluded series against Australia, Dhoni was rested for the last two ODIs and Pant was picked. Those two matches were Pant's golden opportunity to pull the attention of the selectors but unfortunately, he failed both with the bat and the gloves. The worst happened in Mohali when he missed a stumping of Ashton Turner and crowd chanted "Dhoni! Dhoni!" Eventually, India lost the match because of a superb knock by Turner.

Pant's stats in the five ODIs that he has played so far are not worth a mention. In fact, it would be very harsh to judge him in this very few number of matches.

The Indian middle order is desperately crying for improvement. So any player who looks to be in good touch with the bat could make it to the team. The IPL 2019 seems now to be the only opportunity for Pant to catch the eye of the selectors.