ICC ODI World Cup: Team India has secured the ODI World Cup trophy twice in its history, with MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev as captains. Though, it is always a team effort when any side clinches the trophy, there are always unsung heroes whose contributions are way larger than they seem to be at first. Below, in the article we have listed five unsung Indian players across both editions who did not get much limelight.
Unsung Indian heroes in the ICC ODI World Cup triumphs
1. Gautam Gambhir – 2011
The highlight of Gautam Gambhir‘s career is undoubtedly his outstanding 97-run performance against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup final. His innings is often regarded as one of the finest ODI knocks. He scored 393 runs in the tournament, only behind Sachin Tendulkar.
2. Yashpal Sharma – 1983
During the 1983 World Cup, he held the record of being India’s second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 240 runs across eight matches. His top score in the tournament was 89, a remarkable innings achieved against the formidable West Indies team.
3. Virendra Sehwag – 2011
Sehwag himself amassed 380 runs in the tournament at an impressive strike rate of 122.58. Notably, his extraordinary innings of 175 against Bangladesh stood as the highest individual score in that World Cup.
4. Krishnamachari Srikkanth – 1983
In the 1983 World Cup, Indian opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth may have only scored 156 runs at an average of 19.50, but his contributions were invaluable. His crucial 57-ball 38 played a pivotal role in helping India post a total of 183, which ultimately proved to be match-winning in the final.
5. Munaf Patel – 2011
While Munaf Patel may not have been the most spectacular bowler in the 2011 World Cup, his consistent performances were instrumental in providing balance to the Indian side. His reliability allowed Captain MS Dhoni to occasionally include an extra spinner in the lineup. Munaf managed to secure 11 wickets in 8 matches with a commendable economy rate of 5.36. Notably, he had a strong start to the tournament by taking 4 wickets for 48 runs in the opening match against Bangladesh.
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