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 Piyush Chawla. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) 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. 2. Dinesh Mongia Dinesh Mongia. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) Similar to Chawla, Dinesh Mongia too played just one World Cup for the Indian side in 2003, where they reached finals but lost to an iconic Australian side. Leading up to the tournament, Mongia had played just 32 ODIs in his career and VVS Laxman was another strong contender for that position considering how well he was batting in Tests and he also got some decent scores in the ODIs. Eventually, it was Mongia who made the cut. His knock of 159 off 147 deliveries against Zimbabwe just a few months before the World Cup had a significant impact on the selectors. They wanted that attacking flair in the middle order which Laxman couldn’t have provided. He played over 50 ODIs for the country and was almost in contention to make it to the 2007 World Cup squad as well. 3. Munaf Patel Munaf Patel and MS Dhoni. (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER JOE/AFP via Getty Images) The only player in this list to have made a cut twice into a 15-man squad is Munaf Patel. Things started unravelling well for the Gujarat pacer who pulled off some brilliant performances in the 2006 Champions Trophy. Subsequently, he was in the 2007 World Cup squad which failed to clear the initial group stages and were humiliatingly knocked out. His time in the Indian side after that championship didn’t go very well. He kept coming in and going out due to inconsistent performances, but a splendid show in South Africa just before the 2011 World Cup earned him a place in the eventual winning squad. He missed just one game against the Netherlands in that tournament and produced a brilliant 2/40 in the semifinal against Pakistan. 4. Stuart Binny Stuart Binny. (Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images) Rajasthan Royals were just about beginning to make a mark on the tournament after a string of disappointing seasons. Stuart Binny was an integral part of that side, who made some fine contributions with the bat and ball. He was also picked in the Indian squad in 2014 and made his debut against New Zealand. He also featured in the Asia Cup squad that season. Yet, his most memorable performance in Indian colours came against Bangladesh in a bilateral series where he registered the best figures by an Indian bowler in ODI cricket (6/4). He eventually was picked in the 2015 World Cup squad, a selection which sparked controversy as his father Roger Binny was one of the selectors. Despite being picked, he didn’t play a single match in the tournament and played very little International cricket after that. 5. Axar Patel Axar Patel. (Photo by Morne De Klerk-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) Axar Patel’s career kick-started when he produced some amazing spells in the 2014 IPL for the Kings XI Punjab. That was the season when they reached the finals and the left-arm spinner was named the best emerging player. The Indian team call-up was definitely coming considering how economically he bowled and almost immediately after the tournament, he made his debut against Bangladesh. He also was a part of the bilaterals involving Windies and Sri Lanka, which saw him cement a place in the side temporarily. He unbelievably found his way to the 15-man squad and was the youngest in that list (21 years). He didn’t get to play a game, but for him to have come into the limelight and also making it to the 15-man squad inside 12 months was an astonishing story. He lost his place later after failing to perform consistently. 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5 Indian cricketers who were lucky to play the World Cup

While some absolute legends never got a chance to represent India at the World Cup, some of them were lucky to make the cut.

3. Munaf Patel

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