Mumbai: In a clear sign of looking for the future, the national cricket selection panel led by Sandeep Patil on Tuesday dashed the frail comeback hopes of 'Player of 2011 World Cup' Yuvraj Singh for the mega event starting next month in Australia and New Zealand. There was a chance that Yuvraj's current form with the bat in Ranji Trophy in which he has scored three back-to-back hundreds could sway the selectors to include the Punjab dasher after keeping him in cold storage since December 2013. However, the selectors did not think it wise to recall a person who played a stellar role in India winning cricket's showpiece title in April 2011, but has gone off the boil in ODIs since then.
While dashing the hopes of 33-year-old Yuvraj, the selectors also decided to ignore his 2011 teammates like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir by excluding all of them from the 15-member Cup squad. The selectors picked only from among those in the preliminary list of 30 they had shortlisted on December 4 here. "Not only Yuvraj Singh but other names were also discussed apart from the 30 probables. There were deliberations between the five selectors and captain Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher were on the conference call," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said after announcing the squad here. Only four members of the 2011 squad - captain Dhoni, new Test captain Virat Kohli, left-handed batsman Suresh Raina and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin - will now have a chance to make it a World Cup double. Of the quartet, Ashwin was not part of the playing 11 that defeated Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium here on April 2, 2011.
Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, still recovering from a shoulder injury, and young left-arm spinner Axar Patel were on Tuesday included in India's 15-member squad for the cricket World Cup. Allrounder Stuart Binny also made the cut while there was no place for Murali Vijay and Robin Uthappa in the squad, announced by BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel after a selection committee meeting here. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who struggled in the ongoing Test series against Australia, has also been retained in the squad for the high-profile event to be held from February 14 to March 29. The squad, to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni has no major surprises with the selectors opting to go with four specialist pace bowlers -- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav -- considering the pacy wickets in Australia and New Zealand.
India are the defending champions having won the trophy under the leadership of Dhoni at home in the 2011 edition of the quadrennial event. But 2011 Cup's man-of-the-tournament Yuvraj Singh's outside chance of getting a call-up failed to materialise. He was earlier kept out of the list of 30 probables alongside four other former heavyweights -- Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. India play their first match against Pakistan Feb 15.
The Indian squad for the World Cup:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virat Kohli (vice-captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.
The Indian squad for the tri-Series:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virat Kohli (vice-captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni.
