Top 5 batters to watch out for in World Cup 2023

Top 5 batters to watch out for in Cricket World Cup 2023 . Top 5 batters who will set the tone for their teams in World Cup 2023.

Virat Kohli can lit up the Cricket World Cup 2023 (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

One of the grandest events in cricket, Cricket World Cup 2023, is just weeks away from commencement, and there is already excitement in the air. So, what makes the World Cup a must-watch event in the cricketing world? The answer is quite simple, the ebbs and flows of the game.

One of the main reasons for the popularity of the sport are the batters and their style which makes cricket what it is. Their runs and the way they add to the scoreboard makes it an interesting watch.

Therefore, ahead of the World cup, we are aiming to list the top-five batters to watch out for in the 13th edition of the tournament.

All the batters in the list have one thing in common - and that is their ability to play long innings. All five of them have a penchant to score a truckload of runs and have proved their ability time and again in this format.

Virat Kohli (Runs 13083, Avg- 57.38)

Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest ever ODI batter of all time and his records in the format speaks for itself. He recently became only the fifth batter in ODI history to cross the 13K run mark, and also the quickest to do so. He achieved the feat in 267 innings at an incredible average of 57.38 with a whopping 47 centuries to his name.

Kohli has been regarded as a run-machine for the better part of his career, but like any other player in this game, the former Indian skipper too went through a slump. Kohli went more than 3 years without scoring a century in the ODI format - one which he had absolutely aced the decade before.

But as the World Cup drew nearer, King Kohli has shown signs of coming back to his best - as he slammed four centuries since July 2022, and has scored 716 runs at an average of 47.73 in the 17 innings he played during this period. What is even more satisfying is that he achieved all this at a strike rate of just under 112, which is phenomenal.

As far as his World Cup record goes, Kohli has piled up 1030 runs in 26 innings across the three editions, smashing 2 centuries along the way. In 2015 and 2019 World Cup campaigns, Virat had averaged over 50 and a similar kind of performance is expected from him in this edition.

Read More: After Virat Kohli, who’s India’s next chase master?

Babar Azam (Photo: ©PCB/Twitter)

Babar Azam (Runs 5409, Avg- 58.16)

If there is anyone who can come close to being a successor to Virat Kohli in ODI format at this juncture, it is the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. He recently became the fastest batter in terms of innings to complete 5000 ODI runs and has already accumulated 19 centuries in the format from just 105 innings.

Since July 2022, the batting mainstay of Pakistan has scored the third most number of runs (967), at an average of 53.72 in 17 innings with two centuries to his credit.

This will be Babar’s second World cup and the first as a skipper. He was leading run scorer for the team in the previous edition with 474 runs and with the World Cup set to take place in the subcontinent, we can expect Babar to have yet another great outing.

Read More: Top six pacers to watch out for in World Cup 2023

Rohit Sharma has more that 10,000 runs in ODIs (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Rohit Sharma (Runs 10112, Avg- 48.85)

The current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma set the World Cup 2019 on fire by smashing five centuries. The stylish right-hander also topped the run charts with 648 runs in 8 innings.

Come 2023, he will feature in his third successive World Cup and this time at the helm of the Indian team. He had a great Asia Cup in the lead up to the most prized tournament, where he hit three half-centuries and looked at ease largely - barring a contest against Pakistan.

If we take the stats from July 2022, Rohit has accumulated 748 runs at an average just less than 50 in 19 innings, and has been in reasonably good form off late. These are good signs for India and ominous for anyone in the opposition.

Though his record making spree of 2019 may not be ever replicated by any player in a World Cup again, Rohit can potentially have yet another crack at it on what will most likely be his World cup swansong. He is the captain of the side and he is the sort of player who relishes responsibilities.

Read More: The top-3 favorite teams for ICC World Cup 2023

Warner is among the most destructive openers in the ODIs (Images: ©ICC/Twitter)

David Warner (Runs 6397, Avg- 45.04)

Australia have won five World Cup titles before and the performance of their openers in all the respective editions has contributed immensely to their chances - be it Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson or David Warner.

Warner had a great World Cup 2019, where he finished just 1 shy of Rohit’s run tally of 648 - averaging 71.88 with 3 centuries. Though it didn’t result in Australia’s success at the 2019 edition, Warner was prolific throughout the campaign. He currently has 992 runs in 18 world cup outings at 62 apiece (345 in 2015).

Despite not being at his fluent best in the recent years, Warner has 626 runs in 14 games since July 2022 with two centuries in his kitty. One of them came in the recently concluded South Africa series, and this shows he is in form going into the World Cup.

Read More: India’s batters struggle against left-arm pacers; Will more left-arm seam options in team help?

Dawid Malan's game suit ODI cricket perfectly (Photo: ©ICC/Twitter)

Dawid Malan (Runs 1046, Avg- 61.52)

The English opener Dawid Malan is a left-hander and a natural striker of the ball. Malan, who seemingly replaced Jason Roy in the slot, is an accumulator who likes to occupy the crease for a long time.

With these traits he became the No.1 T20I batter at one point and the same prowess has made him prolific in the ODI format. He has amassed four centuries in the 12 games he has featured for England since July 2022, scoring 727 runs including 227 runs from three innings in the recent ODI series against New Zealand.

Malan, the cricket veteran of sorts, comes into the World Cup with runs under his belt.

Also, considering it will be his maiden appearance, and maybe also his last, in the prestigious tournament, he would likely want to make the most of it.

Read More: World Cup 2023: The 5 youngsters who will set the tone for their teams