3 Indian stars who never featured in ODI World Cup
What's the story
The 50-over cricket extravaganza will return to Africa next year, with the ICC Men's World Cup set to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Like every other side, India are vying to finalize their final XI with each passing series. On this note, have a look at three Indian cricket greats who, despite their contributions, never featured in the ODI World Cup.
#1
VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman is perhaps the most debatable miss in this section.
Despite being India's rescuer and even showing promise in ODIs, he never received the World Cup cap.
Apart from his 134 Test appearances for India, Laxman also featured in 86 ODIs.
He racked up 2,338 runs at an average of with six centuries, three of which came in Australia.
Laxman's last ODI was in 2006.
#2
Irfan Pathan
India's Test hat-trick hero, Irfan Pathan, was once their mainstay pacer in ODIs. His ability to swing the ball both ways was next to none.
The former left-arm speedster featured in 120 ODIs, taking 173 wickets at an average of 29.72. He was also a handy lower-middle-order batter, having scored five half-centuries.
However, Pathan never played an ODI World Cup game.
#3
Cheteshwar Pujara
While Rahul Dravid owned the No. 3 spot in Tests in the 2000s, Cheteshwar Pujara was his acclaimed successor.
Pujara was the backbone of Virat Kohli's ferocious Test side. He kept on piling up runs in India's memorable wins overseas.
Despite his massive Test success, Pujara's ODI career was limited to five games between 2013 and 2014.