Endgame? 2011 Cup heroes not among top-30 ODI players : The Tribune India

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Endgame? 2011 Cup heroes not among top-30 ODI players

 Tribune news service   chandigarh/New Delhi, dec 4  Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have not been included in the 30-man list of the probables for the 2015 World Cup.



 Tribune news service

 

chandigarh/New Delhi, dec 4 

Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have not been included in the 30-man list of the probables for the 2015 World Cup. The five of them were part of the playing XI when India won the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka, Yuvraj was the Man of the Tournament. 

Among the less famous names in the list of 30 are those of Dhawal Kulkarni, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel. 

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said that the seniors were considered for selection, but the selectors decided to pick up the names on recent and current form. “Seniors were also considered... There was a discussion on everyone,” Patel said. “But the thought process was to give preference to performers. The youngsters have been doing very well at the domestic level so they could not be ignored. Barring major injuries, the World Cup squad would be from this lot. Captain's views were also considered.”

“I would not like to comment at this (on whether it is the end for Sehwag and Yuvraj in international cricket as I mentioned earlier,” Patel said. “I think all of us should be happy that a lot of young cricketers have been considered for this, as a part of the probables. I feel that considering the future after the World Cup is also part of the thought process.”

Patel did not want to say it, but it is clear that it would be very difficult for the five seniors to make a comeback into the national team. 

And though the focus is on the omission of these five, the fact is that for quite some time, they have not been part of India's plans due to bad form. Among the five, only Yuvraj played an ODI for India in the last 12 months — against South Africa on December 11 last year. Harbhajan last played an ODI in June 2011; Gambhir and Sehwag in January 2013; Zaheer in August 2012. 

Sehwag averages 20.23 in 13 ODIs over the last two years, and Gambhir 23.58 in 30 ODIs in that time. Since making a comeback in 2012, Yuvraj's batting average is 19.71 and bowling average is 72.50.

The Indian team management has moved on beyond these five great cricketers. It was up to them to outperform the youngsters to make their way back into the Indian squad. They've failed to do that — time and age are catching up with them, and they could well have played their last games for India.

Seniors can still make a comeback: Coaches

However, not everyone feels that they have hit the dead end. The omission of Delhi dashers could be a telling blow to their careers, but their childhood coaches still believe they could make a comeback. “Sehwag still has 2-3 years of cricket left in him. A player like him comes once in a decade. My advice to him would be to target the upcoming Ranji season to score heavily and stake his claim for the future series,” Sehwag's long-time coach A N Sharma told The Tribune. Sharma, however, said the selectors' decision to drop Sehwag did not catch him by surprise. 

“I knew this was coming. He did not score runs in domestic matches. He was woefully out of form and the selectors seemed to have come to their decision with an eye on the future,” he said.

Asked about the technical flaws that have crept into his batting, Sharma said, “It's more about motivation and concentration rather than technique. If he feels he is not giving his 100 per cent, he should call it quits.”

Gambhir's coach Sanjay Bhardwaj was of the view that the southpaw should take this setback in his stride and concentrate on the domestic season ahead.

“Age is on his side. He is 33 and still has a lot of cricket left in him. He always wanted to play in this World Cup. He shouldn't lose hope and approach the Ranji season with a positive mindset,” said Bhardwaj.

with inputs from sabi hussain

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