Ramesh Powar says he did not expect to be picked for World Cup after not
getting enough opportunities to prove himself in the lead up matches but rues
that he never got a chance to show his all-round ability. 
Powar, who narrowly missed the flight to the Caribbean
for the quadrennial event from March 13, said he was aware that getting into
the team as a third spinner was always going to be difficult.
"I was not surprised when my name was not included
for the series against Sri Lanka because it came as a surprise to me
when I was selected for the series against West Indies. As Anil Kumble
was not there in the squad, I was provided a chance in the series against West
Indies," Powar said.
"After being among the wickets in the two matches
at cuttack and chennai (against the west indies), there was an outside chance
of me being selected for the sri lankan series.
"(But) I was quite sure that I would not be included
in the World cup squad after my name did not figure in the four-match
series against Sri Lanka.
"Had I played that series, then there were chances
of me playing in the World Cup."
The stocky 28-year-old from Mumbai said there had not been enough chances for
him to show his batting prowess.
"I don't think that I have got enough solid opportunities in the batting.
I have generally come in the middle with not many overs remaining," said
Powar who has frequently come to the rescue of his state team with the bat in
domestic matches.
"My consistency has not there been there at the death because I can't
play selfish cricket and remain not out."
Powar, however, is quite hopeful of returning into the fold on the back of
consistent domestic performances.
"I am hopeful of returning to the Indian team. After the World Cup, there
is a lot of cricket to be played, I just need to perform consistently in domestic
cricket," said Powar, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 2004 at
Rawalpindi.
Asked how crucial would spin be at the World Cup, Powar said that the slow
bowlers would play a significant role in the shorter-version of the game anyway.
"Wickets generally in the one-dayers are good batting tracks and once
the batsmen get used to the pace of the fast bowlers then it’s not much
difficult for them to play the seamers.
"But the spinners can change the game as they are among the wickets with
their subtle change in pace. The spinners are very important in one-day cricket
and will always have a major role to play."
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