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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