India v England: Group B - 2011 ICC World Cup

5 Indian players who were extremely lucky to have played the World Cup under Dhoni

After a disastrous 2007 ICC World Cup where India, led by Rahul Dravid, crashed out of the tournament in the group stage, stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly ruled themselves out of contention for the inaugural edition of World T20 in 2007.

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Selectors made a surprising call by handing over the captaincy to the young Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni created an instant impact as he led a young Indian team to World Cup glory in the World T20.

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He then became the captain of the Indian team in all three formats. Dhoni has led India in six World T20's (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016) and two ICC World Cups(2011 and 2015). Dhoni lifted his second World Cup when he led India to a win in the ICC World Cup in 2011.

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During all these major tournaments, MS Dhoni has played a huge role in the team selection. Though many of the players deserved their place in the squad, there were quite a few dubious selections.

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On that note, let's take a look at the five Indian players who were extremely lucky to play in the World Cup under Dhoni.

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#5 Piyush Chawla

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The leg-spinner from Uttar Pradesh has played two World Cups for India. First, he was selected for 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in West Indies and second, ICC Cricket World Cup-winning squad in 2011.

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Having made his international debut at the age of 18, Piyush Chawla was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket. He possessed good variations and a googly was his primary weapon. Though he was very successful in domestic cricket, he could not reprise that form in international games.

He was in-and-out of the team and was never a regular player in the international arena. It was a big decision to include him in the 2011 World Cup squad when India had spinners like Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra at their peak. Chawla was extremely lucky to play two World Cups for India and even ended up as a winner in one of them.

#4 Joginder Sharma

One of the luckiest Indian cricketers
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Having made his ODI debut in 2004, Sharma was never a regular in the Indian team. Irfan Pathan occupied the all-rounder spot in the team and Sharma was kept on the sidelines. Though he was a good all-rounder in domestic cricket, he was never exceptional.

In a really surprising move, Joginder Sharma was selected in the Indian squad during the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa. He was very expensive in the tournament but Dhoni persisted with him.

Dhoni even handed him the ball when Pakistan needed thirteen runs in the final over of the 2007 World T20 final. Sharma became a hero when he defended the score and India lifted the inaugural World T20. He has not played another game for India since then.

#3 Pawan Negi

Negi's only T20 game came in the 2016 Asia Cup
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The left-arm spinner from Delhi was a surprise inclusion in the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. With three spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harbhajan Singh) already in the squad, Pawan Negi's inclusion perplexed many.

The uncapped Negi was selected ahead of other prominent spinners like Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Though Negi was a decent hitter down the order, his bowling abilities were nowhere close to exceptional.

Negi did not get an opportunity to play in the tournament as India lost to West Indies in the semi-finals. Negi has played just one Twenty20 international for India in his career.

#2 Stuart Binny

England v India: Carlton Mid ODI Tri Series - Game 6
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It was the benefit of being an all-rounder in Indian cricket. In a country where fast bowling all-rounders are scarce, Stuart Binny was selected in the Indian squad only because of his ability to bowl medium pace and also hit the ball a long distance.

Stuart Binny's greatest opportunity came in the 2015 ICC World Cup. Irfan Pathan, the left-arm seamer, was dropped by the Indian selectors, and the Karnataka all-rounder was selected instead.

He was a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad when players like Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, and Virender Sehwag did not find a place in the team. Extremely lucky!

#1 Mohit Sharma

Australia v India: Semi Final - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
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He is one of those players who have to thank IPL for his international career. Though he made his first-class debut for Haryana in 2011, he did not make a name for himself until 2013.

IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings was the biggest breakthrough in his cricketing career. Mohit Sharma played 15 matches in 2013 Indian Premier League and took 23 wickets for CSK.

Though his inclusion in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 tournament was not a contentious one, his selection in the 2015 Cricket World Cup certainly was. He was not in the initial squad but was announced as a replacement for the injured Ishant Sharma.

With his mediocre record, Sharma has to consider himself extremely lucky to play for India in the 2015 World Cup.

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Edited by
Abhinav Munshi
 
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