India Players Who BCCI Can’t Ignore For 2027 World Cup In South Africa

Gautam Gambhir and Ravindra Jadeja [Source: AFP]

There’s only a year left ahead of the World Cup 2027, but the preparations are already underway. Teams are playing ODI bilaterals and trying to get most of their games in the 50-over format to not spare een an inch of preparation and awareness.

Amidst this, the Indian cricket team also seems to be ready with its potential squad that will play in the World Cup. Although there is still a lot of time left for the equations to change, there are some of the players who might slip from the radar of BCCI as a viable candidate for the South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia tour.

Hence, ahead of the mega tournament, let's take a look at some of these players who will be a potential gem for the Indian team that they can’t afford to lose in the ICC tournament.

1) Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja will be a very important asset for India on South African conditions. The all-rounder will be one of the most experienced players for the team on whom the team can rely for the spin department, and also have someone who can act as a floater in the lower middle order.

Jadeja’s presence in the ODI squad for India has been pretty inconsistent, which might make him irrelevant when the World Cup 2027 arrives. However, in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Jadeja has 11 wickets from 12 matches while having 249 runs at an average of 49.8.

[Jadeja in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in ODIs]

Jadeja’s recent form has been horrible. He has remained wicketless in ODIs in 2026 and hasn’t produced much impact with the bat either. 

However, his capability as a senior of the team speaks for his inclusion alongside his familiarity with the playing conditions. Hence, he is definitely one of the experienced veterans whom BCCI can’t ignore for the World Cup 2027.

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2) Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav will be another important inclusion for the World Cup 2027 that the BCCI and the team management cannot ignore. The cricketer has played 4 ODI games in 2026 and bagged 3 wickets. 

His most recent exploits have been in the England One Day Cup, where he scalped 9 wickets from 5 matches while representing Yorkshire, underlining his efficiency in overseas conditions. 

More importantly, Kuldeep has been one of the highest wicket-takers in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, picking 21 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 19.52. 

[Kuldeep Yadav in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in ODIs]

His mastery as a chinaman bowler will be important for India to control the middle and late overs when the seam and swinging conditions will wear off.

3) Axar Patel

The way India under Gautam Gambhir has been looking for efficient all-rounders, Axar Patel’s case seems to be particularly interesting. 

His results have been a mix of good and bad in recent times, and if he fails to produce consistent results till the World Cup, there is a possibility that a replacement will be found soon.

Patel, again, is an excellent all-rounder option besides Ravindra Jadeja, who has been efficient in major tournaments. He has never played the ODI World Cup as he only featured in Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy.

[Axar in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in ODIs]

Notably, Axar Patel’s performance with the bat and the ball in African conditions has been impressive and being one of the senior members of the potential squad, his inclusion will be an important one for World Cup 2027, which the management should not ignore.

4) Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh has been slowly fading away from the one-day format. The highest wicket-taker of the T20I format for India has featured in 4 ODI matches in 2026 while picking up 8 wickets.

Recently, BCCI and the team management are looking away from him because of the excess of talent available in the form of Gurnoor Brar, among others.

Also, Arshdeep is an asset for the team in the shortest format, and hence, the workload management also becomes a priority for Gautam Gambhir & Co. Therefore, he has recently been ignored in the Playing XI for ODIs, which is not necessarily a non-recognition of his talent. 

Nevertheless, the left arm pacer has produced exceptional numbers in South African countries, representing an average of 9.5.

[Arshdeep in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in ODIs]

African pitches usually represent sharp seam movement and good swinging conditions. Hence, Arshdeep’s left-arm variations alongside raw pace would be hard for India to ignore if they want a complete bowling arsenal for the team.

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