Cricket World Cup: 3 Indian players who were lucky to get selected in the last two World Cup squads

Securing a spot in Indian cricket team has always been a dream of all the young and budding cricketers all over the country. After getting selected for the Indian team, players would then aim to play in the prestigious World Cup which is held once in every four years.

Arguably one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about the importance of India’s 1983 WC victory in shaping up his career in his early days. Likewise, many other legends in the past have spoken about the relevance of the World Cup. Until now many cricketers have fulfilled their dream of representing India at a World Cup.

The squad is typically selected after considering the performances of cricketers over a stipulated period of time. The same approach was adopted while selecting Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup. There have also been some cases where the players were selected on the basis of their unique abilities even though they were not a regular member or consistent performer in the Indian team.

In this slideshow, we will look at 3 players who were lucky to get selected in the Indian World Cup squads, even though they lacked the consistency required at international level. The players mentioned have a decent record in domestic cricket but have failed to live up to the expectations in International cricket.

Here are 3 players who were lucky to get selected in Indian World Cup squads since 2011.

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#3 Stuart Binny (2015)

Stuart Binny celebrating after picking up a wicket

Team India was desperately in pursuit of an all-rounder during the 2014-15 season. Stuart Binny was seemingly the lone credible pace bowling all-rounder option available at that point in time. Binny made the most of the situation and performed consistently for the Karnataka team in the Ranji Trophy. His performances in domestic cricket along with all-rounder tag earned him a spot in the Indian ODI and Test squads in 2014.

The 2015 World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, so the selectors included Stuart Binny in the squad considering his all-round abilities. He did not get a game during the event as Ravindra Jadeja played as the all-rounder during the tournament.

He played 14 ODIs and scored 230 runs at an average of 28.75. On the bowling front, he has 20 ODI wickets to his name.

Apart from a few brilliant performances like 6/4 bowling figures against Bangladesh, Binny could not produce the desired results in the opportunities he got. It is quite clear that he had earned a spot in the 2015 World Cup squad due to lack of all-rounders in Indian cricket at that time but not on the basis of his form.

Binny has been out of Indian team ever since the emergence of enigmatic all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Binny last played an ODI in 2015 which was against South Africa.

#2 Piyush Chawla (2011)

Piyush Chawla

Many eyebrows were raised when Piyush Chawla was selected ahead of Pragyan Ojha in the 2011 World Cup squad. Chawla was not a regular member of the ODI team at that time and had not played international cricket in a while. The selectors defended their decision by stating that Chawla was the most experienced player amongst the options available and said that his inclusion would add variety to India's bowling line-up.

Chawla performed poorly in the league matches he played and was subsequently dropped from the playing XI. In fact, he never got to play an ODI after the league match against Netherlands in 2011 World Cup. He entered the international arena as a young promising leg spinner but failed to cement his spot in the team even after getting repeated opportunities.

He played 25 matches ODI's until now and picked up 32 wickets at an average of 34.91 with 4/23 being his best ODI bowling figures.

#1 Yusuf Pathan (2011)

Yusuf Pathan

The swashbuckling Baroda all-rounder, Yusuf Pathan made his international debut for India in 2007 during the inaugural T20 World Cup. He was constantly in and out of the team in the following years. His consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals in IPL tournaments during that period kept him in the reckoning for Indian team selection.

His attacking century against South Africa at Centurion in the early part of 2011, played a decisive role in his selection. He was selected for the World Cup as the finisher of the team. He played in the group matches of 2011 World Cup but got dropped during the quarterfinals following a string of disappointing performances.

He never displayed the kind of consistency levels required for international cricket even after getting enough opportunities in Indian ODI XI.

Through his career, Yusuf has been a force to reckon in the IPL but could not carry the same kind of form on to international cricket. He played 57 ODI’s and scored 810 runs at a below-par average of 27 during his 5-year international career. His last ODI appearance was way back in 2012.