Playing in the T20 World Cup is the dream of every cricketer who starts playing the shortest format of the game at the international level. The International Cricket Council organizes the mega event once in every two or four years. Nations from different parts of the world participate in the competition.
The ICC allows each team to name a squad of 15 players. However, only 11 of them get a chance to represent the team in a match. On some occasions, it happens that a player present in the squad warms the benches for the entire tournament. Here’s a list of five such Indian cricketers:
1. Yuzvendra Chahal, 2022 T20 World Cup
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly ignored for the 2021 T20 WC. He was picked in the squad for the 2022 T20 WC but ended up playing zero matches. It was baffling to see Chahal on the bench for the entire tournament.
2. Harshal Patel, 2022 T20 World Cup
IPL 2021 Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel was one of the top picks in the Indian squad for this year’s T20 WC. Many fans backed him to achieve success in the death over, but he too was benched for the entire tournament in Australia.
3. Pawan Negi, 2016 T20 World Cup
All-rounder Pawan Negi made it to the Indian T20 WC squad in the year 2016. Negi was a new player then, which is why the management might not have preferred him over the experienced players.
4. Stuart Binny, 2014
Former Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny traveled to Bangladesh with the Indian squad for T20 WC 2014. However, the Indian team management did not select him in the playing XI for any of the matches.
5. Varun Aaron, 2014
Another player who warmed the benches in the 2014 edition of the mega event was Varun Aaron. The right-arm fast bowler never made it to the T20 WC squad after that.
