3 Indian stars who could earn a World Cup berth if they have a successful IPL 2019
The much-awaited World Cup 2019 is set to take place in England and Wales next year in May, and the teams have already started to gear up for the event. Meanwhile, with the Indian Premier League scheduled just a month before that, all the players would be entering the tournament on the back of quite a lot of matches.
A few players recently opted to skip the tournament to tackle the workload and some more are expected to follow. However, things would be different for Indian players, as they could make use of the IPL to get a World Cup berth.
In this article, we look at three Indians who could make it to the World Cup team if they a successful IPL 2019.
#1 Suresh Raina
Once a regular part of Team India in limited-overs cricket, Suresh Raina hasn't been in the scheme of things in recent times.
After losing his place in the team in 2015, the southpaw made a comeback to the ODI side against England earlier this year. But he failed to make his chance count, and was dropped again.
The Uttar Pradesh cricketer can get back into the limelight before the World Cup takes place. If he gets going in the IPL, he might be able to remind the selectors that he still has it in him to destroy opposition bowling attacks.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
The off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has not played an ODI for India since June 2017. He was dropped from the shorter formats after the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav took over the job.
But with India expected to go with three spinners in the World Cup, Ashwin might still get a go, mostly due to his experience. If he performs well in the IPL, the selectors will surely give him a thought ahead of the final selection.
#3 Ajinkya Rahane
Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane might be also thinking of making the most of the upcoming IPL. A good show at the event could well help him earn a World Cup spot.
Rahane was left out of the ODI team earlier this year and he hasn't made a comeback since. However, the 30-year-old is a regular in red-ball cricket, and would be hoping to once again become an integral part of the Indian team across all formats.
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