India’s tour to West Indies will commence on 22 July. The tour comprises three ODIs and five T20Is. There are plenty of big names missing from the India squad. Full-time captain, Rohit Sharma along with star player Virat Kohli are notable absentees. Rishabh Pant, Mohammad Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah are also rested. Despite the absence of these key players, not all members of the squad are assured of game time in this series.

We look at 3 Indian Players Who Might Miss Out:

#3 Axar Patel

He would have been a frontline allrounder in any other cricketing nation. Axar Patel is a utility left-arm spin bowling allrounder. He has made tremendous progress as a batsman, especially since 2020. Patel came into his own as a quality allrounder when he joined the Delhi Capitals setup. He played handy cameos lower down the order. It was his improved ability with the bat that earned him a spot in India’s Test side last year. Patel with his consistent lines and length soon became a regular member of the side.

But his spot in the XI has always been dictated by Ravindra Jadeja. The world’s number 1 allrounder in Tests is a must-have across formats. He offers the same set of skills as Patel to go with his experience and superior ability. With Jadeja’s availability across the white-ball formats, it will be almost impossible to play Patel. The only possibility of him getting a game will be when Jadeja would be rested. It is not a nice place to be in if you are Axar Patel. But his whole career has panned this way.

#2 Kuldeep Yadav

He was one of the first names across formats until the ODI World Cup in 2019. The left-arm chinaman was the first of his kind bowler for India. He bamboozled opponents with his guile. Opponents found it extremely difficult to counter his spin challenge. Kuldeep was one of those rare spinners who excelled in overseas conditions. His 6-25 against a rampaging England side is a testament to this fact. 2018 was a year where he found success even on the shores of South Africa. He was expected to be India’s trump card in the 2019 ODI World Cup.

But a poor game against England cost him a spot in the remainder of the World Cup. It had been a downward spiral for him since then. Yadav fell out of favour that he wasn’t even considered for the 2021 T20 World Cup. But post the World Cup, the new team management showed a lot of faith in him. He seemed to be back in his elements in every passing series. Yadav continued his good form in the IPL.

He became the only player to win 4 ‘player of the match award’ this season. But an injury ruled him out of the South Africa, England, and Ireland series. He had his best chance to make a comeback in the ODI format. But he wasn’t picked for the ODIs, he is selected for the T20Is. He has to compete with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ravindra Jadeja.

#1 Shubman Gill

He finally got a game to play for the national side in the one-off Test against England. Shubman Gill for all his class should be playing for the country more often. But there is nothing much to speak about his limited-overs international career. He is not even in the reckoning for the T20Is.

Gill has just played three ODIs so far. He has been selected for the 3-match ODI series against the West Indies. But the competition within the team is such that Gill will find it mighty difficult to feature in the playing XI. If he isn’t explicitly given a go in this series, the wait might just get a wee bit longer for the talented Gill.