Six Indian cricketers who might retire from ODIs if not selected for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

India to kick of their Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai

Very soon, the Indian selection panel under Ajit Agarkar’s leadership will be in a huddle to decide on the best 15-member squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. While most of the Indian squad looks set for the world cup, a few big names will be missing out on the mega event. A few big players who were originally part of the plan have somehow failed to live up to the expectations they had. Considering many factors, team India will be fielding a younger team in the upcoming big event.

With many young names coming into the picture in recent times, they have made comebacks for a few above 35, and if they have not found their name in the squad, they may also announce their retirement. There may be some shock inclusions as well in the team, as fans witnessed in the previous edition of 2019, when Ambati Rayudu was dropped right after being given a long run at number 4, and in place of him, Vijay Shankar was given the go-ahead in a shocking selection. Now let’s have a look at players who may announce retirement soon if we do not find their names.

1 . Shikhar Dhawan

Once seen as the permanent opening partner of captain Rohit Sharma, left-hand batter Shikhar Dhawan seems out of contention for the world cup squad. Shikhar hasn’t played an ODI game for India since India toured Bangladesh last year. Dhawan has not been given an opportunity since then and was out of the squad for the recently concluded West Indies ODI series. His exclusion from West Indies tour was a clear sign that the 37-year-old has moved away from the selector’s point of view.

2 . Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India’s new ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar may also miss out on the world cup selection as the team has several options to explore in the bowling lineup. With Jasprit Bumrah back in the fray after a long injury and Shardul Thakur picking up wickets consistently in the ODIs, Bhuvi’s chances of making a comeback look very grim. If Bhuvi was still in contention, he would have been a part of the three-match ODI series against West Indies.

3 . Ravichandran Ashwin

India’s premier off-spinner in the red-ball format, Ravichandran Ashwin, has been an in-and-out player in India’s limited-overs format. Ashwin couldn’t become a permanent member due to inconsistency in the white-ball game. Ashwin may be considered a part of the group with the kind of experience he has and his recent decent show in the T20I format, but maybe a younger quadrate like Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, and Axar Patel Ashwin might announce his retirement if he is not picked for the ODI team.

4 . Kedar Jadhav

Middle-order batter Kedar Jadhav has found it tough to make a comeback in India’s squad after tough competition emerged in India’s middle-order lineup. Kedar Jadhav is out of India’s squad as of January 2020. Kedar, while talking to Khel Now, expressed that he is still preparing for a comeback, but his chances look almost zero in the world cup squad. Kedar might also announce his retirement from International Cricket. Jadhav also struggles to find a team in the IPL 2023 auction.

5 . Umesh Yadav

Indian pace bowler Umesh Yadav has been a regular member of India’s red-ball side but, just like Ravi Ashwin, hasn’t found himself among the settled members of India’s ODI and T20I squads. Yadav to prolong his test career for team India. Yadav wasn’t part of the 2019 World Cup as well. After making his debut in 2010, he has played only 75 ODIs in his career. Out of the 2023 World Cup race, Yadav will go out of the ODI fray.

6 . Ajinkya Rahane

India’s mainstay in the middle order in red-ball cricket, and India’s test vice captain Ajinkya Rahane has not played any ODI game since 2016. He has played only 90 ODIs in his career and couldn’t prolong it as he was placed as a regular in the test format. Rahane’s inconsistency also played a huge part in this. Rahane did well in the recently concluded IPL 2023 season for Chennai, but that might not be enough for him to break into the World Cup 2023 team in the coming days.

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