The Indian cricket selectors have been pragmatic. They have given no place to sentiment in picking the 30 probables for the defence of the World Cup in February March 2015.
To leave out five stalwarts who played stellar roles in winning the World Cup in 2011 could not have been easy. Of course, the current form of five of those golden oldies Yuvraj Singh (man of the World Cup), Gautam Gambhir (97 in the final), Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan may not have merited too much thought.
If there was any pressure on Sandeep Patil and company it could only have stemmed from the quintet being vocal in the media while talking up their chances.
The Indian team had moved on from the famous five even a year ago. Not one of them wore the Indian colours this year and they did not exactly set the Ganga on fire with their performances.
Their IPL records too were patchy, although Sehwag did play a match winning knock in the final eliminator. The demands of the limited-overs game are getting so aggressive that it is a young man’s format.
However, the outstanding contributions of the five players to the memorable finish the last time out in cricket’s quadrennial showpiece are not to be forgotten.
Time may have taken its toll but there is no denying that on their day they were match winners. They would also join millions of fans in wishing Team India the very best in defending the title.
