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 Indian cricketer Murali Vijay. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) 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. 2. Dinesh Karthik (Photo Source: TNPL) It is never easy to blossom as a wicket-keeper batsman in a country that still has MS Dhoni’s lightning quick glove-work at its disposal. Ask Dinesh Karthik about the tough times he’s faced to squeeze into the national side. DK, as he is fondly known, was born almost 4 years after Dhoni. Throughout his career, he found himself contesting for that one spot behind the stumps with arguably the best keeper the world has ever seen. Nevertheless, Dinesh Karthik proved that his services with the bat are valuable as well. When given the opportunity to bat, Karthik scored freely. During the two warm-up games against Sri Lanka and Australia, Karthik smashed two consecutive centuries and remained unbeaten in both games. He had amassed over 250 runs in two games without being dismissed. Karthik drove through the covers and lofted the ball over the infield with confidence. But he couldn’t follow up his brilliance in the warm-ups with performances in the main tournament. Save one 50, Karthik had lost that lustre he had exhibited earlier. Dinesh Karthik last sported the India jersey during the 2014 Asia Cup held in Bangladesh. Unfortunately for him, he is very unlikely be on a plane to the UK this year as part of the Indian team. 3. Irfan Pathan Irfan Pathan. It seems as though India doesn’t recall who Irfan Pathan was anymore. The fiery young man who rattled Pakistan’s top order batsmen to register a brilliant Test hat-trick is today a forgotten hero. His impressive spells that tested the best of Australia’s batsmen down under have fallen between the cracks. Irfan Pathan’s last appearance in an ODI was back in 2012 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. That’s right, 2012. Although Pathan traveled as part of India’s squad for the 2013 Champions Trophy, the all-rounder didn’t get a game. The 32-year old currently finds himself almost cut off from the world of cricket. Pathan was released by the Rising Pune Supergiant following their miserable season of 2016. He then went unsold at the IPL auction in February 2017. It’s been an abrupt and an unfortunate turn of events for one of India’s finest all-rounders. Although he remains upbeat about making a comeback, it surely isn’t going to be during the Champions Trophy this year. 4. Vinay Kumar (Photo Source: AFP) Karnataka speedster Vinay Kumar finds himself axed from the Indian team following a series of ins and outs from the national side. The pacer primarily depended on his leg-cutters and subtle alterations in pace. Kumar isn’t a poor bowler at all, but he’s let his opportunities slip as he hasn’t been able to produce wicket-taking spells. Vinay Kumar was offered a spot in the Indian team on a few occasions. However, the paceman hasn’t been able to hold it down consistently. He last featured in the historic ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium which saw Rohit Sharma spring to life with a spectacular double hundred. Little did Vinay Kumar know while he watched his teammate wallop the Australian bowlers that it was going to be his last appearance for the national team for a long while. 5. Ishant Sharma (Photo Source: Getty Images) If luck is on Ishant Sharma’s side, he might just take the last flight out to the UK along with Team India. However, as of late, Ishant is unlikely to feature in India’s bowling attack for the upcoming Champions Trophy. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaking havoc in the ongoing IPL, and both Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav back from injury, Ishant will have to give in this time around. Nonetheless, Ishant Sharma remains one of India’s most experienced pacers in the circuit today. He proved his mettle with testing spells in the recently concluded Test series against Australia. Ishant also managed to make a back door entry to the IPL this season, and has been doing a tidy job for the Kings XI Punjab. However, with India’s top three quicks raring to go, Ishant Sharma could find himself bidding his teammates goodbye at the airport. As current holders of the Champions Trophy, there will be a lot of pressure on Team India to go out there and play like champions. The BCCI will hence have to select the best possible combination of players who will represent their nation on the big stage. Unfortunately for these five, who were part of India’s CT-winning squad, they are unlikely to don the India jersey for the 2017 edition of the big tournament.

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

These are some of the players who might not have the chance to relive the glory of ’13 this year.

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