ODI World Cup 2023: India's best XI among non-selected players

The India 15-member squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 was announced on September 5, 2023, and Rohit Sharma will lead a team that was expected by many experts with Hardik Pandya being named the vice-captain.

In perhaps the biggest news KL Rahul has found his way into the group after getting deemed fit to take part ahead of their World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on 8 October. Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan form the batting group.

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur are the all-rounders, while Kuldeep Yadav is the sole pure spinner in the squad. Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah were named in the pace department. However, some players had to miss out as the selection committee tried to find the perfect balance in the Indian squad.

Here is the Non-Selected XI: 11 unlucky players to miss out on India’s World Cup 2023 selection:

Shikhar Dhawan

The veteran left-hander Shikhar Dhawan has been out of favour since the Bangladesh tour last December and in one of the biggest shocks, was not even named in the Indian Asian Games 2023 squad as well.

With 6793 runs in 167 ODIs with 17 centuries at an average of 44.11, Dhawan boasts of a brilliant record in the 50-over format. He had an excellent World Cup in 2019 and his century against Australia with a broken thumb is still one of the highlights of the tournament.

It is now safe to say that BCCI selectors have moved on from Shikhar Dhawan, especially with the rise of Ishan Kishan as a left-handed opening option.