5 famous Indian cricketers who never played in the World Cup

Donning the nation's colors at the grandest carnival in world cricket - the World Cup - is a dream every cricketer hopes to achieve. While for some it comes to fruition, it isn't the case for a number of well known cricketers. Many big names have striven hard to make the cut for a place in the World Cup squad at least once, however, were unfortunate to miss out.

India is among the few countries which have punched above their weight in World Cups more often than not. They have clinched the title twice, once in 1983 and the other time most recently in 2011 and have made it to the semi-finals on multiple occasions. Needless to say, there has always been cut-throat competition for a spot in India's World Cup squad over the years.

On that note, here is a look at five popular Indian cricketers who failed to find a spot in the Indian squad for a single edition of the World Cup.

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#5 Murali Kartik

Murali Kartik

We often see talented players slip through the cracks primarily because of the dominance of their contemporaries. Murali Kartik's case is a bit similar, though he wasn't entirely uncelebrated.

The left-arm spinner never enjoyed an extended run in his career, courtesy of his career coinciding with renowned spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. Even after Kumble's retirement from international cricket, Kartik did not rise to prominence that dented his career.

Over the course of his international career, Kartik appeared in eight tests, 37 ODIs and a solitary T20I. In this stop-start career, he found relief on domestic grounds, with his domestic career spanning more than 17 years. Apart from his steadfast association with Railways, he also featured in the county competition for Lancashire, Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey.

#4 Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara

Hefty sums of cash, international spotlight meaning immediate glory and a better chance to break into the nation's first team have attracted cricketers from all over the world to fast-paced franchise-based T20 leagues. In such an era, players like Cheteshwar Pujara are a rare commodity.

Originally being touted as Rahul Dravid's successor, Pujara has gone on to become something more than that. Currently, he is the mainstay of India's test squad and the 31-year-old continues to shine in red ball cricket, which is his strong suit without any doubt.

Such enthusiasm for the longer format of the game has distanced Pujara from ODIs. However, the fact remains that Pujara has not made a great impression from his short ODI career. As a matter of fact, he has featured in five ODIs but has scored only a total of 51 runs.

His ODI debut came against Zimbabwe in 2013 and the last ODI he last played was in 2014. Unfortunately for Pujara, the ODI team witnessed a lot of competition for the top four spots in the batting order and his poor show meant that he was soon taken out of consideration.

#3 Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra's international career has been oddly similar to Murali Kartik's, with his international presence being blocked by the supremacy of his compatriots. Initially, he couldn't debut due to Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble enjoying their halcyon days.

Nevertheless, Kumble's injury proved to be Mishra's gain as the latter made his test debut against Australia in the second Test at Mohali. Surprisingly, he emerged as the leading wicket-taker in that match as India marched to an emphatic victory. While Kumble's retirement and Harbhajan's injuries gave Mishra a sustained run in Test cricket, Pragyan Ojha soon usurped his berth.

In the shorter formats of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin's shot to fame didn't help Mishra's cause either. In the 2011 World Cup, Ashwin pipped Mishra for a place in the squad to partner Harbhajan Singh. Four years later, Ashwin had already cemented his position as a regular in the starting XI that saw Mishra fade into the shadows.

#2 Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma thrust himself into the limelight with a phenomenal spell against Ricky Ponting in the Perth Test in 2008 that resulted in his wicket which helped India cruise to victory. However, the lanky pacer's career was plaugued with injuries that did not help his cause.

While Ishant Sharma is still among India's most trusted bowlers in the Test format, he has lost his spot with the ODI format. In his place, the celebrated duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have shouldered the fast bowling duties for India.

On the international stage, Sharma has featured in 80 ODIs, having claimed 115 scalps. The closest he came to have a World Cup outing was in 2015. Considering his excellent credentials, the selectors picked him in the squad for the 2015 World Cup. However, Sharma was later ruled out of the mega tournament owing to a knee injury, with Mohit Sharma being named his replacement.

#1 V. V. S. Laxman

VVS Laxman was unfortunate to miss out from a World Cup berth

During his heyday, VVS Laxman was one of the most stylish batsmen and was a part of the famed Indian quartet, also known as the ‘Fab Four’, comprising the legendary likes of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

Over the course of his career, Laxman featured in 134 tests and amassed a total of 8781 runs at a stunning average of 45.97. As such, he is one of the few players to have played 100 Tests without ever playing in a Cricket World Cup. In fact, Laxman could have been a part of India's 2003 World Cup squad had it not been for Dinesh Mongia's last-minute inclusion in the squad.

The right-hander is often remembered for his gritty 281 against Steve Waugh's Australia that helped India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In the ODI format, Laxman was not as exceptional as in Tests, although he did show flashes of brilliance. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2012.