The 2027 ICC World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October-November next year. This tournament will feature 14 teams with two groups of seven teams per group. And one of the favourites to win the tournament is Team India.
India reached the final of the 2023 World Cup at home, losing out to Australia. As they prep for the 2027 edition, there is a debate about whether India should punt on youngsters or bring in some experienced players for a tough away assignment. In this debate, there are three veteran Indian players who might not make it into the India squad for the World Cup 2027.
Here are 3 veteran Indian players who might not make it to the World Cup 2027 squad:
3. Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami was the highest wicket-taker in India’s dominant run to the ICC World Cup 2023 final. What was surprising is that Shami only got to play in the tournament after five games, when Hardik Pandya got injured, and he went on to pick 24 wickets in 7 games with three five-wicket hauls and best bowling figures of 7/57.
Shami was then ruled out of cricket for 18 months or so due to an ankle and knee injury and returned to play domestic cricket, and his last India outing came in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win. However, since then, BCCI selectors have ignored Shami’s efforts in domestic cricket and have instead introduced younger pacers across formats, giving a clear signal that Shami won’t be going to South Africa for the 2027 World Cup.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar last played for India in 2022, and since then, though Kumar has been prolific in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket, he has remained out of contention for an India return. The 36-year-old pacer picked 290 wickets in 229 international games for India and won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and played in the 2019 ICC World Cup as well.
However, like Shami, Kumar has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and he has only been effective in T20s in recent times. He was one of the main reasons why RCB won two IPL titles, but BCCI selectors are wary about his fitness, and that is the main reason why Kumar might not make it in India’s squad for the 2027 World Cup.
1. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja had picked 16 wickets for India in the 2023 ICC World Cup and has continued on to win the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy with the Men in Blue. However, his last ODI for India came in January 2026, while he is a regular in Test cricket.
BCCI selectors have found better alternatives for Ravindra Jadeja in Axar Patel and Harsh Dubey in white-ball cricket. Both of these players are younger than Jadeja and can give India a few more years of service across formats. South Africa doesn’t have conditions or pitches that warrant more than 2 spinners in the playing XI, and Jadeja is not the bowler India would want, as he is not a wicket-taker. He is not explosive with the bat like other options.
