5 Indian cricketers who were lucky to play the World Cup

It takes years of effort for individuals to reach the pinnacle of their cricketing dreams, to represent their nation in a World Cup. From the moment Clive Lloyd and his immortal men lifted the World Cup in 1975, the tournament has managed to become this sport’s most celebrated event, just the way it happens in other major sports.

Despite a ton of efforts and some outstanding performances for their country, some players just happen to be unlucky and never get a chance to enter a World Cup squad. VVS Laxman is a classic example, the middle order legend who during his prime was one of the finest batsmen ever, yet was not good enough to make it to the 2003 or the 2007 World Cup squads.

While that’s one side of the coin, there have been many players who were a bit too lucky to have gotten a chance to get there. Despite not being exceptional performers, the following cricketers had a chance to represent India at the highest possible stage, and a couple of them were also part of the winning team in 2011.

1. Piyush Chawla

It astonishes some fans as to how Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble never got to win the World Cup medal but Piyush Chawla somehow did. He was a part of the 2011 World Cup winning side after managing to convince the selectors with an impressive domestic season and also some good performances in the few games he got to play against New Zealand and South Africa leading up to the tournament.

He played just one game against England in that World Cup, one of the most memorable fixtures of all time where India scored 338 runs batting first but the game finished in a tie. Chawla conceded 72 runs and picked up 2 wickets in his 10 overs and was not picked again in the XI. With Yuvraj Singh finding his rhythm with the ball, MS Dhoni decided to continue with Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj as the two spinners, leaving Chawla and Ashwin aside.