Piyush Chawla last featured in the Indian team as part of the 2011 WC winning squad.

A wry smile surfaces on Piyush Chawla’s face the moment he is asked about his chances for the World Cup. It was a question he couldn’t avoid nor ignore.

Three years ago, the Kriss Srikkanth-led national selection committee sprang a surprise by drafting the leggie into the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Chawla featured in just three matches, picking four wickets but will forever be remembered as a part of the World Cup-winning Indian squad.

That was the last time, however, that the spinner has featured in the one-day team. His indifferent form has resulted in the present selection team giving him a cold shoulder. But with the 2015 World Cup under three months away, Chawla has not given up hopes of making the cut for second consecutive time.

He is not the only one. The Deodhar Trophy, begins at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday with the clash between South and Central Zones, will also double up as a platform for the fringe players to stake claim for the World Cup spots. The fact that they’ll face challenge from India discards like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Yousuf Pathan, among others, will only make their task harder.

“You never know what will happen in coming two months,” says Chawla, who is hoping that selectors will give him one more chance after his consistent performances in domestic circuit. “If you look at my performances in the past few years, I have been doing well in whatever games I have played. There is still time for the World Cup and there are plenty of games between now and then. I feel if I continue to perform well then there is a chance to get in to the Indian side,” the Central Zone captain adds.

Though optimistic of his chances, Chawla will have to perform out of his skin in the coming eight weeks to seal a place in the squad. Unless there is a major dip in form or an injury to the current crop of players, it is unlikely that there will be any glaring omissions or inclusions for the squad that will travel Down Under.

Days before the 2011 World Cup, Praveen Kumar injured his shoulder, which paved the way for S Sreesanth to make a back-door entry to the squad. While the selectors did not have many options back then, Sandeep Patil & Co. face a problem of plenty. At least on paper.

packed spin department

Apart from Chawla, they have Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma in the leg-spin department. India’s lone Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav too has been knocking on the door for quite some time.

And then there are the likes of Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey, who have already thrown their hats into the ring. Karnataka pacer R Vinay Kumar might not have found a place in the Indian team but he too feels there are chances of making a comeback. “I always look at present, one never knows what future lies ahead. For me this (Deodhar) tournament will be the key followed by a few Ranji games,” the South Zone captain points out.