Keralites have been lucky charm as far as Team India's World Cup triumphs are concerned. It was no different on Saturday as India edged South Africa by seven runs in a pulsating final at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. Sanju Samson became the third Keralite after Sunil Valson and S Sreesanth to be part of a World Cup-winning squad. Sanju did not get a single match as Rishabh Pant was preferred over him as the keeper-batter.
Left-arm medium pacer Sunil Valson was part of the Indian squad when 'Kapil's Devils' stunned West Indies to clinch the ODI World Cup in 1983. Sunil, who did not get a chance to play, represented Delhi on the domestic circuit.
Pacer S Sreesanth played a key role in India winning the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. The Kochiite produced figures of 2/12 from his four overs in the high-scoring semifinal against Australia. Sreesanth picked up a wicket and took the high-pressure catch to dismiss Misbah-ul-Haq in the final as the Men in Blue won a thrilling contest by five runs. Earlier, he had taken another catch to remove the dangerous Shahid Afridi off Irfan Pathan's bowling.
Sreesanth was also a member of the Indian team which emerged triumphant in the 2011 ODI World Cup on home soil. He featured in the inaugural match and final.
