India XI: Players who have been ignored for the 2015 Cricket World Cup

Last week, the Indian selectors in consultation with skipper MS Dhoni selected the 15-man squad that will represent Team India at the upcoming World Cup next month. The side was more or less on expected lines with Stuart Binny being the only surprise selection. This team was picked from the list of 30 probables that was announced earlier last month.While there is no doubt about the fact that the selectors would have arrived at a decision after considering all the possible options, one cannot help but feel sorry for the 15 probables who missed the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage of all. Given that they made it to the list of probables, they certainly have it in them to play at the highest level and hopefully someday they will.Moreover, there are a few active players who have had an amazing run this domestic season and somewhere down the line deserved a lookup. Considering all of the above, we have picked a team from these probables and these active players. A team that could have represent India given the talent that it has.Let’s take a look at who is part of the team:P.S: Apart from the probables, some players have been picked based on their Ranji and List A performances this season.

#1 Virender Sehwag

Viru, as Virender Sehwag is also known as, is easily the biggest impact player of his generation. His ‘see the ball, hit the ball’ theory revolutionised opening batting in both the Test and One-Day formats. He was not included in the list of 30 probables for the World Cup owing to some really indifferent performances in the recent past. However, Viru has been in great touch this Ranji season and has proved it that he is far from finished.

In the previous World Cup, the Delhi dasher amassed 380 runs at an average of 47.50 and a blazing strike rate of 122.58. In almost every game, he gave Team India a blistering start and provided a strong platform for the other batsmen to build upon. However, his form has dipped ever since and the slowing down of his reflexes has affected his game largely. He still remains a destructive player though on his day.

In the current Ranji season, Sehwag has scored 365 runs at a very good average of almost 61, including 2 centuries. In spite of being written off by fans and experts alike, he has not given up yet as he continues to ply his trade in the domestic circuit.

In IPL 7, he scored 315 runs at a strike-rate of 144.44. His century in the 2nd qualifier vs Chennai helped the Kings XI Punjab set a daunting target which CSK could not achieve in the end.

#2 Robin Uthappa

If there is someone who can be considered genuinely unlucky to miss out on the 15-man squad for the World Cup, it has to be Robin Uthappa. The only reason, he seems to have missed out, is because the selectors went for an additional all-rounder rather than going with a backup wicketkeeper-batsman. Not making the cut must have hurt the Kodava-lad a lot because he was in the form of his life and scored truckloads of runs across all competitions in 2014.

To begin with, Uthappa won the Orange Cap in the 2014 IPL as he amassed 660 runs in 16 games at an excellent average of 44 and a very good strike rate of 137.78. He was one of the major reasons why the Kolkata Knight Riders captured the IPL title for the second time in 2014. His rich vein of form continued in the Champions League T20 as well as he scored 210 runs at an average of 52.50 and a strike rate of 131.25.

Even in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was in decent form as he scored 214 runs at an average of almost 36 and a strike rate of 90.29. Moreover, he has been in great form in the Ranji Trophy this season as he has scored 437 runs at an average of almost 63, including a century. Just like his partner Sehwag, he loves to play his shots and make optimum use of the mandatory powerplay, thereby forming a destructive opening pair.

#3 Sanju Samson (WK)

Though he was in the list of 30 probables for the World Cup, it was very clear that Sanju Samson would not make the final cut given that he is yet to play a game in Indian colours. However, given the amount of talent that he has, he is surely going to make his way into the Indian team some day. Moreover, he is just 20 years old and already has an extremely mature head on his shoulders.

In the U19 Asia Cup played in early 2014, Sanju scored 152 runs at an average of 50.66 at a very good strike rate of 93.25. His hundred in the final against Pakistan helped the Indian colts beat their arch-rivals.

He was in pretty good form in the U19 World Cup later that year as he scored 267 runs at an average of 44.50 and a strike rate of 96.73. In the IPL, he excelled yet again as he scored 339 runs at an average of 26.07 and a strike rate of 124.17.

However, it was his performance in the quadrangular A-series down under that really speaks volumes about how good a player the 20-year-old is, both technically and temperamentally. He scored 244 runs in that series at an average of 81.33 and a strike rate of 86.21.

What is really appreciable about these numbers is that Samson was not batting at his usual position at No.3, but was batting way down the order at No.6 and No.7. The way, he adapted his game to these positions was commendable. Samson is equally good behind the stumps as well and is, therefore, also the wicketkeeper of the team.

#4 Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary is easily one of the unluckiest players in the domestic circuit. He has put in all the hard work and scored truckloads of runs in the domestic circuit year after year. However, even 10 years after making his first-class debut, he remains a fringe player. Not that he has done too badly in the limited opportunities he has got. 253 runs in 9 ODIs at an average of almost 32 and a strike rate of 77 is pretty decent.

In the recently concluded domestic List A season, the 29-year-old was the second highest run-scorer with an aggregate of 535 runs at an excellent average of 66.87 and a very good strike rate of 91.92. Though he did not get to play many games in the IPL under his new franchise, Delhi Daredevils, he was pretty effective in whatever games he played.

In 8 games, the Bengal batsman scored 152 runs at an average of 30.40 and strike rate of 128.81. His knock are typically characterised by a slow start in the beginning to gauge the pace and the nature of the pitch, but once he gets his eye in, he can score runs in real quick time.

He can also be pretty handy with his subtle leg-spin bowling. In his List A career, he has picked up 39 wickets at an average of almost 37 which also includes a fifer. His economy rate of 5.77 suggests that he can reasonably slow things down in the middle overs. He is also a very good fielder.

All in all, he is the complete team player and the team should benefit heavily in his presence.

#5 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh’s exclusion from the 15-man World Cup squad was the one that hurt Indian fans the most. With Ravindra Jadeja nursing a shoulder injury and Yuvi being in spectacular form in the Ranji Trophy, there were hopes of a spectacular comeback even though his name was not included in the list of 30 probables. Given that he was the architect of India’s triumph in the previous World Cup, he has a very special place in the hearts of Indian fans.

Coming to his performance in the previous World Cup, the 33-year-old scored 362 runs and picked up 15 wickets and played an instrumental role in India’s title surge. However, soon after that life took an ugly turn as he was diagnosed with cancer.

Chemotherapy did seem to take a toll on his body as his reflexes became a little slower in countering the fuller deliveries. His slump in form led to many experts writing him off and even claiming that he’ll never get to play for India again.

However, given that the fighter that he is, Yuvraj seems to have taken his rejection to heart and has set the Ranji stage on fire this season. With 558 runs in just 4 games at an average of almost 80, he stands second on the list of highest run-scorers this season.

In the process, he has notched up 3 hundreds as well. Given his ability to deliver with the ball and also not to forget that he is an outstanding fielder, Yuvi is the genuine all-rounder in the team setup.

#6 Manish Pandey

In the second season of the IPL, Manish Pandey took Indian cricket by storm when he slammed a ton against the Deccan Chargers, the first by an Indian player in the IPL. However, owing to an array of stars in the Indian team, this talented 25-year-old hasn’t quite been able to make his way into the Indian team. Given that he has age on his side and is pretty talented, he will surely get a chance to don Indian colours some day.

In the recently concluded List A season, Pandey sat third on the list of top run-scorers. In 9 games played, he aggregated 534 runs at an awesome average of 89 and a brilliant strike rate of 107.44.

In the previous IPL, he scored 401 runs at an average of 30.84 and a strike rate of 117.94. His innings of 94 in the final helped Kolkata chase down an improbable target of 200. Given that he gets his runs in real quick time, he can provide a real solid finish to the team

Moreover, the 25-year-old has this knack of playing big innings in crucial games and can, therefore, be relied upon to deliver when it matters the most. He is also a very good fielder and can be deployed with ease in any position.

#7 Kedar Jadhav

If there ever had to be a story that proved hard work never goes unnoticed, it has to be that of Kedar Jadhav. Yes, he has not been included in the 15-man squad for the World Cup, but that is mainly because of his lack of experience in an Indian shirt.

Jadhav announced himself in grand style when he scored a blazing 50 off just 29 balls on his IPL debut. Since then, he has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. However, he had a stellar previous year wherein he scored big runs across all tournaments.

With 1269 runs at an excellent average of 79.31, Jadhav was the highest run-scorer in the previous Ranji season. It was his heroics with the bat that helped Maharashtra reach the final of the Ranji Trophy. He had a decent run of form during last year’s List A season too as he scored 338 runs at an average of almost 34 and a strike rate in excess of 90.

However, it was his performance on the A tour down under that won him a lot of praise. In 4 games, he scored 225 runs at an average of 56.25 and a very good strike rate of almost 120. He was one of the major reasons why India won the Quadrangular series.

#8 Karn Sharma

Given that Karn Sharma was the most expensive uncapped player in the previous IPL auctions, there is absolutely no doubt about the talent that he possesses. Yes, he has not exactly hit the ground running in whatever opportunities he has got on the international scene. That, however, can be attributed to nerves and it is just a matter of time before this all-rounder from Meerut comes good.

In his List A career, the 27-year old has picked up 42 wickets at an average of 31.26 and an economy rate of 4.73. These numbers clearly indicate that he can be very effective in the middle overs as he keeps things quiet and also gets wickets at regular intervals. His IPL numbers aren’t too bad either, having picked up 26 wickets at 23.30 apiece and an economy rate of 7.08.

Karn is also more than handy with the bat. He has a first-class century to his name. Moreover, his List A average of 20.65 quite clearly implies that he can score some really useful runs down the order and is not someone who will just give his wicket away. In fact, he can even hit the long ball when needed, given that he has a List A strike rate of 88.12 and a strike rate of 110.43 in the IPL

#9 Rishi Dhawan

It’s been years since India started looking for a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder. Many options have been tried out, however, nothing seems to have worked out.

Rishi Dhawan, though, could be the answer to India’s unending troubles in finding that all-rounder. He can consistently bowl with a speed of around 135 kph and can also strike a few lusty blows with the bat.

Dhawan ended up as the leading wicket-taker in the previous season of the Ranji Trophy with a tally of 49 wickets at an excellent average of 20.63. He has continued his impressive run in this Ranji season as well as he has picked up 21 wickets at an average of 22.42. His List A performances have been quite impressive as he has managed to pick up 12 wickets at an average of 22.16 and economy rate of 5.01 which also includes one five-wicket haul.

In his List A career, the Himachal all-rounder has scored 710 runs at a pretty decent average of 28.40 including two fifties. His strike rate of 85 indicates that he can use the long handle to good effect and score some quick runs. With Dhawan being just 24, it is just a matter of time before he makes his way into the Indian team.

#10 Dhawal Kulkarni

Very often people brand Ishant Sharma as an unlucky bowler. However, Dhawal Kulkarni can be considered to be a lot unluckier than Ishant. Each time he does well on the domestic circuit, he gets an India call-up. In the end, though, he barely gets a game and often ends up watching from the sidelines.

In the very limited opportunities that he has got, he has done a decent job as he has picked up 8 wickets at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 5.35.

A major reason why one cannot help, but feel bad for Kulkarni, is that he did well on the A tour of Australia last year, the very country where the upcoming World Cup will be played. He was the leading wicket-taker in the Quadrangular series as he picked up 14 wickets at an excellent average of almost 19 and an economy rate of under 5. His measured bowling throughout the tournament was one of the major reasons why India clinched the series.

Even in the current List A season, the Mumbai seamer has been in top form as he has picked up 17 wickets at an average of 17.70 and an economy rate of 4.82. The best part about his bowling is that he is perfectly aware of his limitations and therefore does not try out too many things, often trying to strangle batsman with a very measured line and length. Given that he can bowl a few variations as well, he can be very useful in the death overs.

#11 Varun Aaron

Unlike arch-rivals Pakistan, India have often found it difficult to find a bowler who can consistently bowl at a speed in excess of 140.

Given that Varun Aaron can do that consistently and tirelessly, he is someone who needs to be looked after. When he first burst onto the scene in Indian cricket, he was tipped to be a big ray of hope for Indian fast bowling. However, his injury-prone body has not really allowed him to feature for Team India as regularly as both him and the Indian team would have liked.

In List A cricket, the 25-year old has picked up 34 wickets in 21 games at an impressive average of 25.23 and an economy rate of under 6. In the previous season of the IPL, he picked up 16 wickets at an average of almost 19 and was one of the mainstays of RCB’s bowling attack. Yes, he can be a tad expensive at times, but that is mainly because he gives the batsmen a lot of pace on the ball and also because he bowls a lot in the death overs.

Recently, Aaron has worked on this and has introduced quite a few subtle variations in his bowling. He also has the ability to reverse the ball and, therefore, one can expect him to bowl a few yorkers tailing in towards the stumps.