Reliable seam-bowling option for the Kapil Dev-led side by the time of the World Cup 1987, former India pacer Chetan Sharma on Thursday said he never dreamt of a hat-trick during the tournament.
"As a fast bowler you don't even dream of a hat-trick," Chetan said in an ICC Cricket 360 special. "You dream of five wickets, you dream of 10 wickets but you don't dream of a hat-trick. Getting a hat-trick there ... I couldn't believe myself."
Chetan, who made his ODI debut in late 1983, picked up the first ever World Cup hat-trick in the 1987 edition.
However, during India's final group match against New Zealand in the 1987 edition, Chetan accomplished one of his greatest achievements as he cleaned bowled Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Evan Chatfield in three successive deliveries.
His historic feat helped India restrict the Kiwis on 221/9 in Nagpur.
Following the first two wickets, Chatfield had come on to the field with a visor. Reflecting on it, Chetan said: "I never expected that on a wicket like Nagpur he would come with a visor on. Kapil (Dev) paaji said to me, 'He is scared. Just bowl a straight one.' And he said we can still make it. It went through the legs and after that, as everyone could see, I went half-mad there!"
During his cricketing career, Chetan took 67 wickets in 65 ODIs with an economy of 4.94, while picked up 61 wickets in 23 Test matches with an economy of 3.74.
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