CRICKET
4 instances when star Indian players were ignored before a mega tournament
It is the dream of every cricketer to represent his/her team on a grand stage or any big tournament. Players prepare day-night to play well for the team and they give their all for the tournament. There are some players who get included in the squad due to their brilliant performance.
But there are also some players who couldn’t make it to the squad despite performing well in the past. It is always very disheartening for the players who give their 100 % but still don’t get selected. On that note. Let’s take a look at the instances when big Indian players were ignored just before a mega tournament.
1. Stuart Binny in place of Yuvraj Singh (2015 ODI World Cup)
Stuart Binny and Yuvraj Singh (Source – Twitter)
India’s 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh made an inspirational comeback after he was diagnosed with cancer just after the tournament. However, he wasn’t batting as he used to do and his fitness was also not up to the mark. Due to this reason, allrounder Stuart Binny was selected for the squad for the 2015 ODI World Cup.
2. Rahul Chahar in place of Yuzvendra Chahal (2021 T20 World Cup)
Rahul Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal (Source – Twitter)
Indian veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is undoubtedly one of the greatest limited-overs spinners in the world. Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in the T20I format. He also has taken the most wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the cricket universe was left shocked when Rahul Chahar was selected in place of him in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
3. Vijay Shankar in place of Ambati Rayudu (2019 ODI World Cup)
Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar (Source – Twitter)
The Indian cricket board took one of the most controversial decisions when they selected Vijay Shankar in the 2019 ODI World Cup but didn’t include Ambati Rayudu who was in their scheme for a long time. Rayudu even took retirement after the setback but soon came out of it.
4. Axar Patel in place of Chahal (2023 Asia Cup)
Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal (Source – Twitter)
Chahal has been left out of the squad many teams before the team gear up for any major tournament. The same happened to him again when he was dropped from the squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Left-handed allrounder Axar Patel make it to the squad leaving Chahal disappointed.