Waiting for the World Cup

Batsmen who have been around for plenty of time but haven't played in cricket's biggest show

The presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir
meant Dhawan had a long wait for his ODI chance 

Shikhar Dhawan
ODI runs: 2046
Debut: 2011

Dhawan played only one ODI before the 2011 World Cup, getting a golden duck against Australia in 2010. He got another chance when the senior players rested after the victorious 2011 campaign, but it wasn't till 2013 that he established himself in ODIs with a Man-of-the-Series performance in the Champions Trophy.

Rohit has an unhappy knack of picking up injuries. If he doesn't succumb to one this
 time, he could be one of the stars of 2015

Rohit Sharma
ODI runs: 3752
Debut: 2007

Rohit wouldn't have been without a World Cup game to his name this long if he had seized his chance in the South Africa series immediately before the 2011 World Cup. However, he floundered then, extending his World Cup wait by four years.

No international ODI captain is struggling to justify his place as much as Cook, but
 he is strongly backed by the ECB

Alastair Cook
ODI runs: 3151
Debut: 2006

Cook is yet to turn 30 but already has more than 8400 Test runs. His one-day record is less stellar, though, and the debate rages over whether he deserves a spot in the ODI side. In 17 innings this year, he has a sub-30 average and his strike rate is in the low 70s. Still, he is set to lead England in next year's tournament.

Having fallen behind other contenders for the wicketkeeping slot, Chandimal
might yet have a long wait ahead for a World Cup game

Dinesh Chandimal
ODI runs: 1962
Debut: 2010

Still only 25, Chandimal has already had a rollercoaster ride in ODIs. Two centuries, including one at Lord's, in his first six ODIs seemed to signal the arrival of a player for the long run. Two years on, he was stand-in captain of the side. However, there have been no more hundreds since, and Chandimal is now on the fringes of Sri Lanka's one-day team.

Barring injury, Hamilton Masakadza is nailed on for the 2015 World Cup

Hamilton Masakadza
ODI runs: 3961
Debut: 2001

Maskadza has been out of form at just the wrong times when it comes to World Cups. He played in virtually all of his side's matches for about a year in the lead-up to both the 2007 and 2011 events, but missed out on both. He was back in the Zimbabwe team for the very next match after the marquee tournaments, though. He was absent in 2003 for a different reason - focusing on his studies at the University of the Free State.