ICC World Cup 2019: Five Indian cricketers who were in contention but didn't get selected

While IPL continues to entertain the global cricketing audience, the ICC World Cup 2019 continues to tease the fans every now and then with a piece of big news. A few hours after Australia announced their 15-man squad for the title defense, two-time champions India too have done the same on Monday. Under the astounding leadership of Kapil Dev in 1983 and MS Dhoni in 2011, the Indian side managed to lift the World Cup, thus giving the Indian fans two fairytales to remember. In a bid to write the third chapter of glory and triumph, Virat Kohli and his men will be shedding all sweat and blood in England once the tournament begins. The last few days were very difficult for cricketers who were on the peripheral edge of the World Cup squad. While some of them did make the cut like Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik, some prominent names failed to get into the side. Here are five names which were in serious contention for a while but didn’t get selected. 1. Rishabh Pant Rishabh Pant. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Perhaps the biggest disappointment for many Indian fans was MSK Prasad and his team preferring Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant. The selection panel did have a valid point for the decision they took in this regard, as they pointed out that if MS Dhoni gets injured, only Dinesh Karthik can provide such calming influence in the team. The southpaw has been in sensational form, making it big in the Tests and limited overs at the International level. There was some serious criticism to his approach as well, which seemed a bit too careless in crucial junctures. Pant is a star in the making, but there will be no ink to write a World Cup tale on his name for this time. 2. Ambati Rayudu MS Dhoni & Ambati Rayudu. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) So close, yet so far! Ambati Rayudu only has himself to blame having been the prime contender to win the number four slot for a good 6-7 months. A thread of poor performances from the Hyderabadi cricketer saw him receive a cold shoulder from the selectors. He played at number 4 in India’s last International assignment before the World Cup against Australia and it’d be fair to say he bottled the opportunity big time. Even for an experienced cricketer like him, this will be a very difficult pill to swallow. Rayudu currently is with the Chennai Super Kings and will be in action on Wednesday against Sunrisers Hyderabad. 3. Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Umesh Yadav was one of India’s key pacers in the 2015 World Cup, who partnered brilliantly alongside Mohammed Shami. Their duo was so fascinating that even Bhuvneshwar Kumar failed to get good enough games to prove himself. Yet, that’s all in the past to which there’s no sequel. The 31-year-old has been great in domestic cricket as well, being a part of the Vidarbha’s Ranji winning side twice. Yet, it was his poor performances in limited overs cricket which saw him get ousted. Even at the club level, his performances for RCB have been below par, which didn’t help his cause. 4. Khaleel Ahmed Khaleel Ahmed. (Photo Source: Twitter) The young left-arm seamer was perhaps a variety option the selectors could’ve considered. There were many speculations suggesting Khaleel Ahmed could get selected as a fourth seaming option, but the youngster remained out of the 15-man squad which currently constitutes only 3 pacers. Khaleel is quick and provides variety with his left-arm seam. He also made a good impression in the Asia Cup last year and seemed firmly in contention to book a ticket to England. He certainly was considered as mentioned by MSK Prasad, but in a bid to provide the best squad, the selectors didn’t see Khaleel as a correct fit. 5. Navdeep Saini Navdeep Saini. (Photo Source: Twitter) This young Delhi pacer wouldn’t have been in the list if MSK Prasad had not mentioned his name in the press conference. But Navdeep Saini until then had done everything correct to be considered, beginning from fantastic domestic performances to catching everyone’s eye in the IPL with his raw pace. He consistently hits the 140 kph mark and can breach the 150-mark as well, making him an X-Factor option. He can outdo batsmen with his extra pace and is very disciplined with channels. Considering a fact that he didn’t make his debut yet, this will come in as a boost for the youngster rather than a disappointment. An International call-up is definitely on his way very soon. Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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ICC World Cup 2019: Five Indian cricketers who were in contention but didn't get selected

Virat Kohli and his men will be shedding all sweat and blood in England once the tournament begins to win a third World Cup title.

3. Umesh Yadav

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