5 Indian World Cup-winning stars who are still searching for a place in Team

28 years of dreaming, hard work and dedication saw it's fulfilment on 2nd April 2011 at historical Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

That six by skipper MS Dhoni, that roaring celebration from over 1.2 Billion people living in the country, that jubilation in the dressing room, that farewell to the 'God of Cricket, it has been more than 6 years but ask any Indian cricket fan, he will narrate the story like it has happened hours before.

Cricket, a religion in India is a misnomer but it is an activity that is equal to all the necessary living commodities for people. It not only is a door-by-door followed Sport but a game that is played in almost every street of the country.

Those fifteen faces who helped India achieve its long-desired dream of lifting World Cup are known to everybody, yet the journey hasn't been that smooth for all of them afterwards. Most of them are still in-line, waiting for a chance to wear that honour again.

In this article, we sum up the five of those players, who despite being part of India's World Cup winning squad are currently finding it hard to play for the country:

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#5 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan

The elder Pathan, who debuted for India in 2007 in the historical World T20 final against Pakistan, served India as a hard-hitting batsman for quite a long time. However, he hasn't played an international match for India since 2012.

Yusuf, a right-handed batsman who occasionally bowls off-spin, has played 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India. He played all the six group stage matches in 2011 World Cup but was dropped from playing XI for the knockout games, owing to his consistent failures.

Pathan later struggled to keep his place alive in the team, with a lot of new faces making an entrance to the team. He currently plays domestic cricket for Baroda and recently went to Bangladesh to play a List A tournament.

With a lesser number of high-striking players around, Yusuf might still be able to make a comeback to the national side.

#4 Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla

The Uttar Pradesh's leg-break bowler, Piyush Chawla has been among those unlucky cricketers, who in spite of having a decent domestic record, haven't played much at international level.

Chawla played a mere three matches in 2011 World Cup and scalped four wickets. The third match against the Netherlands was his last assignment for India in ODIs, till date. Nonetheless, even after being neglected for national selection, he has been taking wickets consistently at domestic level.

The 29-year-old with 32 wickets in six matches was the eighth highest wicket-taker in last year's Ranji Trophy, followed by some decent performances in other domestic events as well.

He might soon receive a national call-up if he continued to perform in the home cricket.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

One of India's all-time successful spinners, Harbhajan Singh, after serving India at international cricket for years hasn't worn Indian colours since March 2016.

Nicknamed 'Turbinator', Harbhajan is among few cricketers who debuted in the 90s' and are yet to retire. He has taken 417 Test and 269 ODI wickets so far.

He was India's main spinner during 2011 World Cup, though was just able to take just nine wickets in the nine matches. His struggle with taking wickets on regular intervals was one of the main reasons behind his axe from the team.

However, he made few comebacks but failed to cement his place in the side. It is still a question for a lot that would he make a comeback or call it a day.

#4 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir

The hero of 2011 World Cup finals, Gautam Gambhir has shared success for India in all the three formats. He owns 4154 Test, 5238 ODI and 932 T20I runs with the average of 42,40 and 27 respectively.

The Arjuna award winner, Gambhir also holds the unique record of 100% winning record at International cricket. He captained India in six ODIs, among which India lost none. He also had a quite good captaincy stats in IPL.

The 36-year-old southpaw was recently reported to have joined politics but he hasn't announced the retirement yet. Many believe he can still serve India in international cricket, which would sort with the time.

#Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

The six sixes record holder, the player of the 2011 World Cup, the most expensive pick of IPL, Yuvraj Singh, which is a brand name in Indian cricket has been lately struggling to find a spot in Indian cricket team.

The southpaw scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets in 2011 World Cup and was one of the strong parts in India's journey to win the Trophy. The 36-year-old last played an ODI for India in June 2017.

Yuvraj hadn't a good IPL this year but undoubtedly can still make a comeback and who knows may play one more World Cup for India.