There are only about 100 days left for the World Cup. Many TV channels, ex cricketeers are all debating the 30 or 15 probables for the world cup. Strangely the whole world seems to have forgotten the stars of the recent past Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harhbhajan and Yuvraj. These stars who won and played many matches for India are suddenly being ignored. The likes of Shikar Dhawan, Rahane etc are being discussed as replacements. The likes of Akshar Patel as the next international sensation are being hotly debated. Akshar Patel made a debut for the Indian ODI side after playing less than 10 first class games. On the contrary players such as Rayudu have been given an international debut after 10 years of making an appearance in the Indian first class scene.
The likes of Shikar Dhawan, Rahane and the spinning option to Ravichandran Ashwin can only be a back up to Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan and Yuvraj. Imagine the first match of the 2011 World cup where Sehwag scored a magnificent 175 against Bangladesh. Will Rahane or Shikar Dhawan bat so freely like Sehwag? The answer is "NO." Similarly consdier Gambhirs 97 and how it helped India win the WC 2011. Think about the many magnificent innings that Yuvraj Singh played for India in T20s and ODIs. Also the many fantasitc bowling spells bowled by Harbhajan in Tests and ODIs. Is it fair on our parts to ignore these stalwarts when they are still in their playing years and when they have not retired. Shikar Dhawan and Rahane can ably assist Sehwag and Gambhir and cannot be their replacements. Also Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh should be paired together, they would form a big force in the spin department along with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel as allrounders. Harbhjan Singh should not be ignored in the manner the selectors have ignored him during the past few seasons.
I hate to observe that the selectors in India instead of realizing the valuable contributions of these players readily shun then and abandon them when they have a poor season. Even the great Sourav Ganguly was unfortunately dropped during his peak time as a cricketer. Sourav Ganguly himself was instrumental in securing many wins for India as its finest captain. But the selectors did not realize his value or his contribution and simply dropped him from the team.
I urge the readers and the Indian team selectors to realize how important the contribution of Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan and Yuvraj has been to Indian Cricket in the past. These stars must be picked for the world cup 2015 and should not be made a subject of ridicule by making statements that "they have not performed" etc. Me being an avid cricket fan and having watched cricket in India for the last 35 years have drawn up this list for the WC 2015.
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadega, MS Dhoni, Ravi Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Ishanth Sharma, B.Kumar, Shami, Karn Sharma, Ambati Rayudu.
Viru, Gambhir, Harbhajan and Yuvraj you can be rest assured that our prayers are with you to on the plane to Australia for the world cup 2015. I do hope that the selectors realize how valuable your contribution has been to Indian Cricket and reward you with what you deserve - A place in the WC 2015 squad.
The author is an avid cricket follower. Would love to hear from my readers and publishers.
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