New Delhi: In a clear sign of looking ahead and showing no interest in putting the clock back, the national selection panel led by Sandeep Patil today dashed the frail comeback hopes of 'Player of 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh, by ignoring him for the elite award.
Media has speculated that going by Yuvraj's current form in the Ranji Trophy in which he has scored three back-to-back hundreds in the run-up to today's Cup selection meeting would sway the selectors to include him in the World Cup bound squad. The Punjab batsman has not played for India since December, 2013.
Yuvraj had played a stellar role in India winning cricket's showpiece title after 28 years ago 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 nipped the slender aspirations of his 2011 teammates like Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir by ignoring them.
The selectors kept faith in the platers from the preliminary list of 30 probables, shortlisted on December 4.
That they had a conference call with victorious 2011 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well as chief coach Duncan Fletcher - who are in Australia - before finalising the Cup squad is a pretty significant pointer that the Indian team has moved ahead and there are no place for sentiments.
"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 three, Ashwin was not part of the playing 11 that defeated Sri Lanka in the summit clash at the Wankhede Stadium here on April 2, 2011.
