Playing in the World Cup is the dream of every cricketer who takes up the sport professionally. However, not all the players who make it to the international level are able to find a place in their country’s World Cup squad. Only the 15 best players according to the combination and team’s needs make it to the final team.
However, only 11 of them get to play in a match. While there have been instances when all players in a squad got a chance to play in the mega event, sometimes Team India did not make too many changes to their team, which is why the following three players got an opportunity to play in the warm-up stage of the mega event, but they did not get any matches in the main tournament.
1. Stuart Binny, 2015 World Cup
Former Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny bowled the first ball in the warm-up round of the mega event which happened in 2015. India battled against home team Australia and suffered a big defeat, thanks to centuries from David Warner and Glenn Maxwell. Binny bowled six overs in that match, scalping one wicket and conceding 41 runs. However, he did not play any matches in the main competition.
2. Ambati Rayudu, 2015 World Cup
Another player from that squad to feature on the list is right-handed batter Ambati Rayudu. Playing against Australia in the warm-up game, Rayudu scored 53 runs off just 42 balls. He smashed four fours and four sixes, but eventually, his contribution was not enough.
Despite his excellent showing in the warm-up round of the tournament, Rayudu did not feature in the Indian playing XI for any matches.
3. Pawan Negi, 2016 T20 WC
All-rounder Pawan Negi was one of the members of the Indian squad that played in the 2016 T20 WC. He played in both the warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa. Although he bowled a spell of 2/15 against West Indies, Negi was not considered for any games in the main tournament.
