3 ousted veterans who could add value to Team India at the 2023 World Cup
The last time India won the World Cup, their squad was packed to the hilt with experience. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh were among the well-established players who made the Men in Blue's experience at home a memorable one.
Twelve years later, India are all set to host a World Cup once again. They have quite a few established superstars this time around too, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli headlining the playing XI.
At the same time, however, names like Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh and Shubman Gill might have integral roles to play at the showpiece tournament.
India will know the value of experience, especially with pressure on the team bound to be sky-high in a home World Cup. They might consider bringing in a few veterans who are currently not in the scheme of things, at least as backup options.
Here are three ousted veterans who could add value to Team India at the 2023 World Cup.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn't been very active at all in ODI cricket over the last few years. He played no matches in 2020, five in 2021 and two in 2022. The swing bowler hasn't represented India in the format since January 2022 and has fallen out of picture in T20Is as well.
There are other reasons working against Bhuvneshwar as well. His body is known to be notoriously fragile, and he hasn't been able to play the longer formats with any consistency.
However, desperate times could call for desperate measures. Jasprit Bumrah could be hurried into action once again, and nobody knows how his return will pan out. Mohammad Shami hasn't been at his convincing best in the longer formats lately, while others are either untested at the ODI level or injured.
Bhuvneshwar, with his new-ball prowess and experience, could turn out to be a viable option. This is definitely unlikely and shouldn't even happen in an ideal scenario. However, if India end up considering the 33-year-old for the showpiece event, he could add value.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has played only two ODIs since the start of 2018. There are concerns over his suitability to the 50-over game, both from a bowling standpoint as well as a fitness angle. However, India know a thing or two about recalling the veteran cricketer to take part in a World Cup.
Ashwin has played the last two T20 World Cups, although he wasn't penciled in as one of the favorites to make the grade. The off-spinner's performances have been fairly satisfactory across formats over the last few years, and there's reason to believe that his ODI race isn't run.
India have picked Washington Sundar in their Asian Games squad, lending weight to the belief that they aren't considering the youngster for the World Cup. The Men in Blue will then be without an off-spinner who can bat, and Ashwin is the closest thing to satisfying those requirements.
Like Bhuvneshwar, Ashwin is unlikely to earn a recall to the ODI side ahead of the World Cup. However, a cricketer as smart and capable as him will always be able to enhance India's chances.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan lost his place in the ODI side at the turn of the year. Since his axing, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have come together to forge a formidable opening partnership.
India are still in need of a backup opener, though, with Ishan Kishan failing to impress in the role. If KL Rahul returns to full fitness and Sanju Samson manages to come up with telling performances, the Men in Blue might not need Kishan in their World Cup squad.
Dhawan could thus be in line to make an ODI comeback, if only as Gill's understudy. His experience and tendency to step up in ICC tournaments are factors that work in his favor. Dhawan's understanding with Rohit and the decent form he displayed during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) do so as well.
The southpaw was reported to be in contention for the Asian Games squad, but hasn't been picked for the tournament. This might be because the selectors intend on keeping him in the mix for the World Cup.
If Dhawan is picked, he could come up with more crunch performances for the national side.