Indian players who unfortunately missed out on the ICC World Cup
There is no bigger honour in the sport of cricket than representing your country in the World Cup. The larger than life event comes once in four years and playing in the show-piece event often a pinnacle in one's career. Many make their name in this prestigious competition and some prove their worth by match winning performances.
Quite a few legendary batsmen have extended their careers for another shot at winning the Cup. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Imran Khan played longer than their body permitted and performed admirably to lift the World Cup title. Others, like Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan, failed in doing so.
While some never had the honour, the others missed out on one edition of the World Cup which was a blow to their careers. Here is a list of Indian cricketers who missed out on big events because of some or the other reason:
#4 Praveen Kumar (2011 World Cup)
The man from Meerut was a regular in the Indian team for a couple of years before the 2011 World Cup began. He was expected to play a big role in India's bid for winning the Cup on home soil. Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan were the designated opening bowlers for Team India and had previously worked well in tandem.
Kumar, however, sustained an elbow injury during the tour of South Africa just two months before the action began. Despite that, the board gave him the chance to recover for the World Cup.
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He trained at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for his recovery and was also sent for a checkup to Dr Andrew Wallace in London - the same doctor who treated Sachin Tendulkar's tennis elbow injury. But even after every possible remedy, Kumar could not get match fit for the World Cup on home soil.
He was eventually replaced by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth who proved to be a lucky charm for India. Sadly, the Uttar Pradesh bowler never really looked at his threatening best after missing out on a place in the 2011 World Cup.