Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul among 6 Indians in ICC's World Cup Team of Tournament

WHILE India might have suffered a devastating loss to now six-time World Cup winner, Australia, in the final face-off between the two nations, the ICC World Cup Team of Tournament has been dominated by Indian players.

Out of the 11 players who made it to the coveted team, based on their superlative performances throughout the tournament, six were Indians. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who was reduced to tears following India’s loss, has been named captain of the ICC World Cup Team. 

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja have been included by ICC in the dream team. 

ICC included Rohit Sharma in the team for the manner in which he set the tone for the hosts. He hit 597 runs in the World Cup 2023, which is the seventh-highest ever at a men’s Cricket World Cup. “The nature of the opener’s runs was even more crucial than their volume, with his strike-rate of 125.94 being the highest of any top-four batter in the tournament,” said ICC. 

Virat Kohli was in sublime form this World Cup, scoring the most runs ever by an individual batter at a men’s Cricket World Cup at 765. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record, and had an average of 96.62. He knocked three hundreds in the tournament. 

KL Rahul was included in the dream team for his consistency. The 31-year-old scored 452 runs overall, with an average of 75.33, which was the third highest for any batter during the tournament. 

ICC credited Ravindra Jadeja for his crucial role in the team, taking key wickets throughout the middle overs. His economy rate was among the best at 4.25 per over. His prowess with the bat was commendable too as he scored 120 runs in five appearances. 

Jasprit Bumrah, relentless in his excellence, was a threat in all sections of the innings, said ICC. However, his new-ball brilliance made the highest impact for the team. His economy rate of 4.06 was remarkable with no bowler to have played more than a single game able to turn in a better one. 

The extraordinary Mohammed Shami was the tournament’s top wicket-taker. Shami had sat out the team’s initial matches but eventually ended up taking 24 wickets. Only Lasith Malinga (56) Mitchell Starc (65), Muttiah Muralitharan (68) and Glenn McGrath (71) have taken more Cricket World Cup wickets than Shami's 55, that too in at least 10 more matches than him. 

The other players to be included in the team are South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (wk), New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka, Australia’s Adam Zampa, and South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee.