5 India Players Who Will Not Be at 2020 T20 World Cup

Was India's ICC World Twenty20 campaign, where they fought back from losing their opener to narrowly finish on the wrong side of an epic semi-final, a good effort?

Or, considering their vast white-ball experience, bombastic support and the advantage of playing at home, a huge underachievement from MS Dhoni's men?

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, trying to guess who will be in India's next limited-overs squad is difficult.

Trying to predict who'll be joining Virat Kohli in the starting XI at the next World T20, which is due to take place in Australia in 2020, is almost impossible!

So instead of attempting that, here are five names who definitely will not be on that plane to Oz in four years' time.

T20i appearances: 23

Age: 36

Ashish Nehra was named in the ICC's team of the tournament for his performances over the last few weeks and has been an inspirational figure to other senior bowlers around the world.

The 36-year-old picked up five wickets in five appearances while returning an exceptional economy rate of 5.94, giving a perfect example that experience and control can be just as effective as pace and bounce.

What's more, the left-arm seamer will take this form and confidence into the forthcoming Indian Premier League where he'll represent Sunrisers Hyderabad.

However, considering his advanced age, there is almost no chance of Nehra making the next World T20, and India will need to develop some new pace bowlers over the next four years to take up the slack.

T20i appearances: 55

Age: 34

Also like Nehra, from a sheer age point of view, the 2020 World Twenty20 in Australia will almost certainly be a tournament too far for Yuvraj Singh.

Once a stalwart of the team, the veteran of an incredible 293 ODIs has struggled to make an impact over the last few weeks, scoring just 52 runs and taking only a single wicket.

With one eye on the future, India's powers that be need to move the all-rounder aside, freeing up some space in which to blood some younger players.

Equally, from a personal point of view, maybe it’s time for Yuvraj to cut back on the workload and try to secure a lucrative contract or two on the T20 mercenary circuit.

T20i appearances: 74

Age: 30

Despite starting the tournament in pole position, Shikhar Dhawan struggled with the bat to the extent that he was dropped for India’s final game against the West Indies.

Imagine his disappointment that, after playing and struggling on some testing surfaces, the wicket for the clash he was discarded for turned out to be as flat as a pancake!

But on a more serious note, the silky left-hander's stylish approach to batting often seems out of place in today's more power-orientated T20 game.

And should a new kid off the block emerge at the forthcoming IPL, then Dhawan’s days at international level, at least in cricket's shortest format, could be numbered.

T20i appearances: 62

Age: 29

With a fresh approach seemingly needed to inject some life into India's T20 team, a few big names may have to face the axe, and Suresh Raina will be high on the list.

While he chipped in the odd useful over with the ball, a contribution of just 41 runs from four innings with the bat was disappointing from a player with over 300 international appearances.

More frustrating was the nature of his knocks, which, apart from his 30 from 23 balls against Bangladesh, lacked timing and were often tough to watch.

Throw in his age and his consistent inconsistency, and it could be time to put Raina out to graze in the IPL and give some new batsmen a chance.

T20i appearances: 68

Age: 34

As Australian journalist Sam Ferris found out at a recent press conference, the subject of MS Dhoni's eventual full international retirement is a thorny one.

While, the wicketkeeper-batsman's 89 runs at a strike rate of over 127 demonstrated he remains a useful late-order biffer, he can't go on forever.

Especially with Virat Kohli, who has already effortlessly taken over the reins of the Test team, clearly ready to take complete control of the Indian ship.

So really it's a matter of when he steps down rather than if.

In the meantime, let's enjoy watching the Ranchi man do what he does best over the next few weeks at the IPL.