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

#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.