5 Players who were part of India's 2013 Champions Trophy squad, but are likely to miss out in 2017

Four years have gone by since Ashwin bowled that final delivery to England’s James Tredwell, who failed to connect bat to ball, much to the delight of MS Dhoni behind the stumps. In an eventual 20 over game which was a result of the all too familiar English rains, India defeated the hosts at Edgbaston by 5 runs. A young Indian side donned the white blazers to take the podium on the night of the final. MS Dhoni had finally earned the missing piece of silverware from his collection of ICC Trophies. As Dhoni lifted the Champions Trophy, India were crowned the undisputed Champions in the cricketing world.

With the Champions Trophy 2017 round the corner, defending champions India will gear up once again to prove themselves to be the best side amongst the top 8 teams in the world. However, with four years having elapsed since the last edition of the tournament, there will certainly be some changes in the squad for India.

Among the players who were part of India’s 2013 contingent, many will come as an automatic selection this year as well. The likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will most certainly be part of the 15-man squad which the BCCI will announce in due course of time. Nevertheless, there will be some others who will not have the chance to relive the glory of ’13 this year.

Here’s a look at the 5 players who were part of India’s 2013 Champions Trophy squad, but will most likely not feature in the national side this year for the mega-event.

1. Murali Vijay

India’s dependable opener in Test matches hasn’t created much of an impact in limited overs cricket. Murali Vijay has habitually been a batsman who caters to the needs of a Test match. Quite like his nickname ‘Monk’, Vijay exudes a sense of calm and patience at the crease.

Vijay however has shown a different facet of his batting ability in the IPL, namely for the Chennai Super Kings. But the cricketing fraternity still associates his name solely with Test cricket. Murali Vijay’s splendid form in Test matches had earned him an ODI call-up for the Champions Trophy in 2013. Nevertheless, Vijay couldn’t capitalize on his opportunity as he failed to score runs in the warm-ups.

Murali Vijay last featured in an ODI in 2015 against Zimbabwe as part of an Indian side that rested the likes of Kohli, Dhawan, Dhoni and Raina at the top. With the urgency of T20 cricket seeping into all forms of the game, especially the one-dayers, Vijay will have to cede his spot to young guns like KL Rahul. Vijay is most certainly going to watch this edition of the Champions Trophy from home on his television screen.