Team India had a bitter sweet 2019. They created history by winning Test series against Australia in Australia but suffered a heart-breaking World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand. While many young guns showed their potential in the national jersey, there are some players who might not find themselves in the national team ever again. The team management will look to invest on young talents keeping the next 50-over World Cup in mind. With this, It could be the end of the road for some of the senior players who have served the team in the past.
We look at the three players who might not get a chance to play for Team India again:
1. Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu made a promising start to his ODI career but the batsman could not live up to his cricketing talent. In the 50 ODI innings that he has played, Rayudu scored 1694 runs at an average of 47.05 with a top score of 124*. During the course of his career, he hit three centuries and 10 fifties. However, an inconsistent run with the bat and constant run-ins with Indian Cricket Board led to his ouster from the Indian squad. After getting snubbed from the World Cup squad, Rayudu had announced his retirement from all formats. However, the 33-year-old came back from his retirement just after 2 months. With age not by his side either, it seems he will not be seen in the Indian Jersey again.
2. Murli Vijay
Murali Vijay who used to be the first-choice opener for India in Test cricket is no longer a regular feature in the Test side. The opener last played a Test for India in December 2018. Vijay was dropped mid-series on the England tour. Once known for his tendency to play patient innings with proper technique, Vijay had a very good phase with the Indian team. His 402 runs in 5 Tests in England in 2014 and 482 runs in 4 Tests in Australia in 2014-15 remain the highlights of his career. However, Vijay’s form dipped consistently in 2018. He was dropped after poor outings during India's tour to Australia and England in the 2018-19 season.
At 34 years of age, Murali Vijay is not getting any younger. With the inclusion of young openers like Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, Vijay’s appearance in the Indian squad seems difficult.
3. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was another name who used to be a vital cog of the Indian limited overs team. The left-handed batsman was an invaluable asset to the team. But is seems Raina’s road to the national side has hit a dead-end. The southpaw has not been selected in any international matches in a quite long time. The all-rounder was excluded from the 32-player list of centrally contracted players by the Indian Cricket Board last year. As such, Raina’s 5615 runs from 226 ODIs at 35.31 and 1605 from 78 T20Is at 29.18 are far from ordinary for a middle-order batsman but his inconsistency forced selectors to look elsewhere. With so many youngsters on the horizon, his chances of a comeback into Indian side seems bleak.
