Ishant Sharma recently completed 100 Tests for India in the Ahmedabad Test match against England. He is just the second-pace bowler after Kapil Dev to play 100 Tests for India, and that speaks a lot about his longevity and fitness. He plays only the five-day format now to extend his cricketing career.
Despite playing 100 Tests for India, he has not been part of even a single 50-overs World Cup game. And he is not alone in this list. There are a bunch of cricketers who are part of this list. Cricwizz takes a look.
Alastair Cook
The former England skipper made a record 12,472 runs in 161 Tests for his country, but he could not set the limited-overs cricket on fire despite playing 92 ODIs. He scored 3,204 ODI runs with 5 tons and 19 fifties, but as luck would have it he could not make it to any of the ODI World Cup squad. However, he led England to the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, where his team faltered in the final, losing to India.
Justin Langer
The current Australian coach formed a lethal opening pair with Mathew Hayden in Test cricket. He played 105 Tests for Australia, scoring 7,696 runs @ 45.27 with 23 tons, but he was relegated as a Test specialist. He could manage to play just 8 ODIs for Australia, scoring 160 runs, and ended his career without a single World Cup game.
VVS Laxman
The Very Very Special Laxman is one of the best Test batsmen the world has ever seen. He is best remembered for his 281 against Australia at Kolkata in 2001. He played 134 Tests for India before retiring as a legend of the game. He also played 86 ODIs for India, scoring 6 tons, but he never really quite settle in the ODI team that was blessed with stroke players. Hence, Laxman retired without a single World Cup game to his credit.
The closest he ever got to a World Cup selection was in the 2003 edition. However, the all-around ability of Dinesh Mongia was preferred instead and Laxman's wish to play in a World Cup remained unfulfilled.
Cover image courtesy: Ishant Sharma's Facebook page
