5 Star Indian cricketers who never played in a World Cup

Representing your nation in a World Cup event is a source of pride for a sportsman and a cricketer is no exception. Prior to the inaugural edition of the 2007 20-20 World Cup, a World Cup event would be held after every four years and it wouldn’t be easy for the cricketers to get their name into the World Cup squad. 

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Due to the arrival of the 20-20 format, the fans enjoy the high-ticket event in every two years but the importance and the relevance of the tournament still remain the same. The teams give their absolute best to prove that they are the best in the world. 

All the teams try to pick their best players for the event. The world-class players get the opportunity to showcase what they are made of. However, there are some veteran cricketers who never got the opportunity to participate in the World Cup. In this article, we will be talking about five such players:

5. Parthiv Patel 

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Parthiv Patel: (Image Source: Twitter)

India’s former wicket-keeper batter made his debut in the year 2002 and was also the youngest Indian player to make his debut in Tests. A left-handed batter who loved hitting on the off-side, Parthiv Patel had the gift of timing. However, due to the emergence of the likes of MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik, he couldn’t play a lot of matches for India. In his international cricket career, he played 25 Tests and 38 ODIs for India but, sadly, couldn’t represent the nation in a World Cup. 

4. Ambati Rayudu

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Ambati Rayudu: (Image Source: Twitter)

Ambati Rayudu was the captain of the Under-19 team at the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. But, he couldn’t not go on to make his international cricket career as beautiful as he would have wanted to. Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, skipper, Virat Kohli gave hints of his inclusion in the World Cup squad. However, the selectors didn’t include him and preferred Vijay Shankar ahead of him. Overall, Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India, amassing 1694 runs at an average of 47. 

3. Ishant Sharma 

Ishant Sharma: (Image Source: Twitter)

India’s one of the finest pacers in the history of the game, Ishant Sharma also finds himself in the list. The tall fast bowler’s game-changing spell in the Champions Trophy 2013 is etched in every cricket fan’s hearts. However, he couldn’t find a place in any edition of a World Cup. In his international cricketer career, Ishant Sharma picked 311 wickets in 105 Tests and 115 wickets in 80 Tests. 

2. Cheteshwar Pujara 

Cheteshwar Pujara: (Image Source: Twitter)

Cheteshwar Pujara’s numbers in Test cricket is nothing short of outstanding. He has been India’s one of the most dependable players, over the years, in the longest format. However, Pujara never got the opportunity to showcase his mettle with the white ball. He played only 5 ODIs for India, managing 50 runs at an average of 10.2. Pujara is also amongst the five cricketers who couldn’t play a World Cup for India. 

1. VVS Laxman 

VVS Laxman: (Image Source: Twitter)

One of the greatest batsmen ever to play for India in the history of the sport, VVS Laxman is also amongst the unlucky cricketers who couldn’t take part in a World Cup. VVS Laxman was expecting to get picked in India’s squad for the 2003 World Cup but selectors’ didn’t pick him, eventually. In an interview, he later revealed that he almost gave up on the sport after that. 

"My biggest inspiration was to play for the country. I still remember in 2003, when I was not picked up for the World Cup in South Africa. I almost gave up the game and I went and spent almost 2 months with my friends in the US who didn't follow the game so much. Laxman said.