Dubai, Nov 20: Rohit Sharma was Monday named the captain of the ICC’s Team of the Tournament after the conclusion of the World Cup, with a total of six Indians including the Player of the Tournament, Virat Kohli, featuring among the XI.
India lost the summit clash to Australia who clinched their sixth win in World Cup with a six-wicket victory in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Rohit led the team from the front as his fearless batting won him praise from all corners, with the Indian skipper finishing as the second highest scorer in the tournament with 597 runs in 11 matches at 54.27 with one century and three fifties.
Kohli, who became the first batter ever to score more than 700 runs in a single World Cup edition, finished with a total of 765 runs with three centuries and two fifties.
In the course of the tournament, Kohli also surpassed batting legend Sachin Tendulkar to have scored most ODI centuries when he recorded his 50th ton in the semifinal.
With more than half of the ICC’s Team of the Tournament comprising Indian players, it was yet another indication of the fact that despite not winning the title, the hosts were the best side in the competition having registered a record 10 wins on the trot.Wicketkeeper-batter and vice-captain KL Rahul, who made 452 runs at 75.33 with one century and two fifties, finished as the eighth-highest run-scorer in the World Cup and was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Despite missing four matches of the league stage initially, Mohammed Shami finished as the best bowler with 24 wickets in only seven matches at 12.20.
“Only four players in the history of the men’s game have taken more Cricket World Cup wickets than Shami’s 55 – Lasith Malinga (56) Mitchell Starc (65), Muttiah Muralitharan (68) and Glenn McGrath (71) – with Shami’s returns coming in ten fewer matches than any of those above him in the list,” the ICC said on its website.
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was the fourth most successful bowler in the World Cup with 20 wickets in 11 matches at 18.65, also features in the ICC XI.“No bowler to have played more than a single game in the tournament was able to return a better economy rate than Bumrah’s 4.06 – an even more remarkable stat considering he was so often in action when the fielding restrictions were in place,” the ICC said.
Ravindra Jadeja featured in the team alongside Australia veteran Glenn Maxwell for his all-round exploits in the competition.
“India’s spin-bowling all-rounder played a crucial role for his team, taking key wickets throughout the middle overs and consistently turning the screw,” the ICC said.
South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who is now retired from the ODI format given the World Cup is over, was named as one of the two openers in the competition having scored four centuries for the Proteas during their excellent run in the league stage.The coveted No 4 slot went to New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who was the only batter to have dominated the Indian bowlers when they were on song during their two meetings – one at the league stage and the other at the semifinals.
With 552 runs in 10 matches, Mitchell finished as the fifth highest run-getter with two tons and as many fifties.
Sri Lanka’s young Dilshan Madushanka’s was a standout performance in an otherwise forgettable World Cup campaign. (PTI)
