Cricket World Cup History: The greatest Indian ODI XI that never won the World Cup

India is one of the most successful teams in the history of the ICC World Cup. They have won the tournament on two occasions in 1983 and 2011. Much of this success has been due to the presence of some of the greats of the game.

It is never easy to win a World Cup because the format is such that one bad game can shatter your dreams. So even you have some great players in the squad you can't be guaranteed to win the tournament. There are some great Indian players who were not able to win the prestigious tournament in their careers.

These players were simply unlucky to not be part of consistent Indian ODI teams. So we have made a playing XI of the Indian players who were never able to win a World Cup in their career:

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#1 Openers: Sourav Ganguly and Navjot Singh Sidhu

Sourav Ganguly had an amazing record in the World Cups

Sourav Ganguly is one of the most destructive players in the history of the game. The left-handed batsman had the ability to score big in the World Cup, as he conjured up four centuries on the biggest stage.

He scored runs at an average of more than 55 in World Cup games which is simply incredible. He came close to winning the tournament in 2003 when he led the team to the finals of the tournament before coming up short against the mighty Australians. Sadly, this was the closest he came to winning the tournament.

Navjot Singh Sidhu came close to winning World Cup twice as he played a big role in India reaching World Cup semi-finals twice. The opener scored four half-centuries in the 1987 World Cup but India lost the semifinal to England. In 1996, he won the man of the match award vs Pakistan in the quarterfinal but India once again came up short in the semifinal vs Sri Lanka.

#2 Middle Order: Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja

Like Ganguly, Dravid came closest to winning the tournament in 2003

Rahul Dravid is one of the most underrated batsmen in ODI history. Some fans and critics term him as too slow to make an impact but he has an enviable record in the World Cup. The solid batsman was the top-scorer in the 1999 edition with 461 runs and two centuries. His overall numbers in the World Cup is mighty impressive as his average stands at more than 61.

Mohammad Azharuddin was the captain of the Indian team which reached the semi-final of the 1996 World Cup. The stylish Hyderabadi batsman's achievements have been forgotten by a few fans due to his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal.

Ajay Jadeja was a great batsman to have in the lower middle order. His innings vs Pakistan in the World Cup quarterfinal will never be forgotten, when he tonked Waqar Younis for 23 runs in one over. Along with big hitting, he also contributed to the team's cause by saving runs with his electric fielding.

#3 All-Rounders: Robin Singh, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajit Agarkar

Robin Singh

Robin Singh was an integral part of the Indian team in the late 1990s. The Carribean born cricketer was a great utility player as he could contribute in various ways. He was a good batsman down the order, who bowled decent medium pace. If that is not enough, he even contributed with his great ground fielding.

Manoj Prabhakar was a genuine all-rounder as he could contribute with both bat and bowl. The right-arm fast bowler used the new ball well as he could swing the ball to make life difficult for the batsman. Prabhakar was used as a floater as he could bat at a number of positions.

There was a time when Ajit Agarkar was seen as the next big thing of Indian cricket. The right-arm fast bowler is fourth highest wicket-taker in ODIs for India. He was also a handy batsman in the slog overs as he could take on the bowlers. Agarkar was a part of three World Cup squads from 1999-2007.

#4 Bowler: Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, and Venkatesh Prasad

Srinath and Kumble: India's highest wicket-takers in ODIs

Javagal Srinath was part of the Indian team in four different World Cups. He is the joint-highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in cricket's biggest tournament. Srinath is the only Indian fast bowler to pick more than 300 wickets in One Day Internationals. He came close to winning the World Cup in 2003 but India lost the final.

Anil Kumble is one of the greatest spinners in the history of the game. The leg-spinner is the highest wicket-taker for India in ODI history. Unfortunately, he was picked in only three of the 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup. This does not change the fact that he is a legend of the game.

Venkatesh Prasad will always remain a fan-favourite for his brilliant performances vs arch-rivals Pakistan in the 1996 and the 1999 World Cups. The right-arm fast bowler was known for his ability to use the slower delivery brilliantly.