There was a time when Yuvraj Singh was considered as the spine of Indian cricket team and I won’t be wrong in claiming that the unit was incomplete without his name on the sheet. However, is not the case anymore as the 36-year-old has become more of an in-and-out presence in the team. The hard-hitting southpaw’s last appearance in the Indian jersey came way back on June 30, 2017, when the Men in Blue were plying their nails against West Indies. Soon after that, the selection committee never really batted an eye on the Punjab born. The reason cited for him not getting selected is branded as the lack of physical fitness, coupled with the fact that he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running. Furthermore, the upbringing of the younger generation has only slipped Yuvraj down in the pecking order. So as far as the selection committee is concerned, it is expected that they are looking to build a young and a fit squad for the 2019 World Cup. Hence, the current crop is doing its best to at least come in the eye of the hierarchy. Having said that, it is all but obvious that some of the names could well and truly hamper Yuvraj’s chances of getting into the squad and we believe these are the players who are capable of doing that.
Kedar Jadhav, 32, has been a constant presence in India’s limited over squad off late. What gives Kedar an upper hand is the fact that not only he is a good batsman, but he is a decent bowler too.
There have been times when the 32-year-old has helped India in achieving a breakthrough. Talking numbers, the Pune-born cricketer has played 40 ODIs for India and has notched 798 runs, at an average and strike-rate of 39.90 and 109.01 respectively. In the midst, he has bagged two centuries and three half-centuries in his kitty which could well turn out to be a problem for Yuvraj.
Kedar Jadhav
Not selecting Shreyas Iyer in the list would be an understatement, to say the least. Although the 23-year-old has just started his international career, he could well be the one who can dislodge Yuvraj from his berth and book his place in the 2019 World Cup.
The Mumbai-born has played 6 One Day Internationals for India and has notched 210 runs with an average of 42.0 with the strike rate of 96.33 and 88 being his highest personal to date.
Shreyas Iyer
There is no denying the fact that KL Rahul is one of the most promising batters but the presence of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the limited over fixtures has hampered his chances.
To add to it, the inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane has hammered the final nail in his coffin. Hence, if Rahul is to get selected in the team, it will be best for the side to use him at number 4 and if that happens, Yuvraj can fare his goodbyes to his spot in the World Cup.
KL Rahul
Manish Pandey, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe at Harare on Jul 14, 2015, has consistently performed whenever given the opportunity. Pandey is an extremely talented batsman and his recent performances are the perfect specimen to it.
Pandey is either used on number 4 or number 5 — similar to Yuvraj. And what gives him an edge over his counterpart is his fitness and his brilliant fielding. Hence, to sum up, it is safe to say Pandey will be a better option than Yuvraj in the 2019 World Cup.
Manish Pandey
The experienced left-handed batsman, Suresh Raina made his comeback in India’s T-20I squad recently after a year-long exile and this underlines the fact that the selectors still believe in him. So if the 31-year-old manages to assert his authority in the shortest format of the game, there are high chances that he might very well get selected for the ODI squad.
Just in, Raina played his last ODI against South Africa at Mumbai, on Oct 25, 2015. So, if the Muradnagar-born batsman hammers his spot in the World Cup squad, Yuvraj could very well be the one to be sacrificed.
Suresh Raina
Dinesh Karthik’s presence is not just about being a wicket-keeper batsman, but the 32-year-old can be used as a full-fledged out-and-out batsman. The Chennai-born batsman has shone whenever given the chance and for the past one year, skipper Virat Kohli has included him on a number of occasions.
Karthik is one of those batsmen, whose performance usually goes unnoticed, yet he remains one peripheral presence in the squad. So, if the 32-year-old is selected for the World Cup squad, it is safe to say Yuvraj’s place will come under heavy scrutiny.
Dinesh Karthik
