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With so many star players unavailable, Team India are set to tour Sri Lanka in July for a bilateral series. The fans are eagerly waiting for BCCI to announce an exciting squad which is expected to feature a lot of young and emerging talents from Indian domestic circuit as the senior team will be in England tour. But unfortunately, some star players and their fans might have to face disappointment as few big names are expected to miss out. Let's look at the list of those players who have played for India before but might still miss the flight to Sri Lanka.
1. Vijay Shankar
The career of Tamil Nadu's all-rounder has been on a decline since the last two years. Vijay Shankar was a part of India's 2019 WC campaign but was ruled out due to a toe injury and has since fallen down the pecking order in India's limited-overs scheme of things. The 30-year-old has played 12 ODIs and 9 T20Is for Men in Blue but due to a disappointing first half of IPL 2021, the experienced campaigner might not see his name in the squad for series against Sri Lanka.
2. Dinesh Karthik
The veteran wicketkeeper has unfortunately never been able to cement his place in the national side for many years. However, Dinesh Karthik has been a great servant for Indian cricket having played 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is for the country. Famous for his Nidahas Trophy heroic in 2018, the 35-year-old has also been inconsistent with his performances, and with the availability of young wicketkeepers like Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, it is very likely that the star player might not have his name on the boarding list of flight going to the neighbouring nation.
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3. Khaleel Ahmed
The left-arm pacer was once touted as the next big think in Indian cricket after his impressive performances on his maiden tour of Australia in 2018. Despite doing fairly well in the 11 ODIs and 14 T20Is that he played, Khaleel Ahmed got out of favour in SRH as well as India with the emergence of T Natarajan. With some other left-arm pacers like Chetan Sakariya and Jaydev Unadkat also in the ranks, there is a possibility that Ahmed might not get a call-up for this tour.
4. Kedar Jadhav
The 36-year-old had once established his place in the national side as India's most reliable lower-order batsman. However, due to his frequent injuries, Kedar Jadhav fell down the pecking order. Having played 73 ODIs and 9 T20Is, the experienced cricketer would have hoped to get one more opportunity in the Indian colours but with the Men in Blue already looking to build a side for the upcoming mega-events, Jadhav might not feature in the squad for SL tour.
5. T Natarajan
The left-arm pacer has been the big story for Indian cricket in the last 12 months. T Natarajan has been mighty impressive in the 2 ODIs and 4 T20Is he has played for the national side, in addition to his heroics for franchise in IPL. However, the 30-year-old has been struggling with a knee injury for some time and had to undergo a surgery for the same. It is expected that he will need some more months to recover from that and as a result, he might not be fit in time for the Sri Lanka tour.