In a latest setback to the heroes of 2011 World Cup triumph, the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan were left out of the 30-man probable list for 2015 World Cup.
In a latest setback to the heroes of 2011 World Cup triumph, the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan were left out of the 30-man probable list for 2015 World Cup.
Moreover, with the veterans at the peak of their careers, the BCCI opted for a fresh and younger approach at the World Cup with including the names of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Robin Uthappa to name a few.
Prior to the announcement, there were calls for the seniors to be named atleast in the probables list but that too didn’t happen.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli are the only survivors from the previous World Cup glory. “Seniors were also considered [for selection]. There was a discussion on everyone,” said BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel. “But the thought process was to give preference to performers. The youngsters have been doing very well at the domestic level so they could not be ignored. Barring major injuries, the World Cup squad would be from this lot. Captain’s views were also considered.”
And the exclusion of the ‘Big 5’ is justice to the youngsters. Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and the rest have done nothing major in the domestic circuit to book their place in the final-30. That would have been unfair to Axar Patel and Robin Uthappa who are going all guns blazing in the domestic cricket scene.
None of the 5 top stars could light up the domestic scene – Sehwag (9, 20, 11, 80 and 0), Gambhir (22, 4, 93, 23 and 22), Yuvraj (half century and four wickets), Harbhajan (three wickets and a half-century) and Zaheer (4 wickets from his last four outings – in IPL 2014) were a damp squib.
Many critics, fans and former players have cited that the future looks bleak for Yuvraj Singh and the others. But all’s not over for the 2011 heroes! If not the World Cup, they could stand a chance to play for the national side, albeit with a good performance for domestic teams.
Furthermore, these players could take a leaf out of England discard, Kevin Pietersen’s life.
The South African-born was shunt away by the English Cricket Board (ECB) and the players thus making him a scapegoat of the 2013 Ashes debacle. Even though his contract was expired, Pietersen did not leave any stone unturned as the former England skipper still plying his trade in county cricket as well as other leagues around the world.
Thus, even if hope has faded away, there’s still courage and honour to fight for.
It’s upto these ‘Big 5’ to know what’s left of them and what more they can offer.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel!
