ICC World Cup 2019 | Sachin Tendulkar reveals his Indian-dominated team of the tournament
Sachin Tendulkar has named his preferred XI of the recently concluded World Cup containing as many as five Indians, compared to the two Men in Blue representatives the official World Cup XI. The team also includes three Englishmen and has New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as its captain.
After a thrilling final marked an end to the 12th edition of the World Cup on Sunday, Sachin Tendulkar announced his favourite XI of players from across the participating nations. The lineup had representatives from five different countries and had five players from the little maestroâs home country.
He named the prolific Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow as the opening pair for the team. Sharma was also included in the official XI released by ICC as he ended the mega event as itâs leading run-scorer. Bairstow, on the other hand, had an average of 48.36 in 11 innings and was a strong force behind his countryâs successful campaign.
In the middle order, player of the tournament Kane Williamson found his name enlisted as the teamâs skipper. His captaincy has been lauded by many critics and he was also his countryâs highest run-getter by quite some distance in their journey to the final. He was followed by Indian captain Virat Kohli, who scored five half-centuries in his nine innings. Bangladeshâs sole representative in the team was Shakib Al Hasan as the worldâs top all-rounder had 606 runs and 11 wickets in the tournament, while Ben Stokesâ heroics in the crucial matches including a man of the match display in the final earned him a spot too.
Hardik Pandya was the third Indian cricketer named on the team sheet, as he came up trumps in all the three departments whenever the team needed him the most. Ravindra Jadeja, even though having played only three matches, was the next name on the lineup considering he was the key factor in all of the matches in which he took the field as a starter. Â
As far as the bowling attack is concerned, it consisted of three strike bowlers and had no specialist spinner in it. Record-breaker Mitchell Starc was an obvious inclusion having taken 27 wickets in the tournament and was followed by Indian spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently the worldâs number one ranked bowler and was at his best in the mega event. Englandâs third representative in the team, 24 year old Jofra Archer was the last name on the list after his big display under pressure in crucial moments, including the final, has earned him the status of a cricketing hero in his country.