The first team of the week of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India includes the likes of (L-R) Matt Henry, Rohit Sharma and Kusal Mendis
Photos: Getty ImagesRohit Sharma (India): Yes, he missed out against Australia. And yes, it was only Afghanistan. But the Indian captain turned on the style in the capital as he became the first batter in World Cup history to hit seven centuries, going past his former teammate and fellow Mumbaikar in Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit’s habitually effortless 131 runs meant India’s chase of 273 was never in doubt. With a strike rate of 155, Rohit scored India’s fastest-ever World Cup ton, while his five sixes on the night also made him the most prolific six-hitter in the history of international cricket
Quinton de Kock (South Africa): Two games, two centuries. Life is good for de Kock, who has taken his knack of batting well in India to the next level. Relentless against Sri Lanka in Delhi, the southpaw was more measured against Australia in Lucknow. But the result was the same on both occasions. Scintillating centuries that involved just the right balance of aggression and accumulation and led South Africa to post match-winning totals, taking de Kock to the top of the run-getters standings, a place he will not want to veer far off
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): After we identified him as one of our breakout stars of the tournament, it took Ravindra little time to live up to the billing. An exquisite innings of 123 not out off 96 balls flattened England in Ahmedabad in the World Cup opener, while a run-a-ball 51 against the Netherlands in Hyderabad continued his rich vein of form. Should he keep up the momentum, Ravindra might end up with a debut World Cup campaign that both the legends he is named after (Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar) would have been proud of
Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka): There was a stage against South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium when Mendis had brought up his 50 and his namesake (Kusal Perera) who had come into bat before him was yet to open his account! Mendis eventually headed back after scoring 76 off 42 in Delhi. But whatever was left unfulfilled against South Africa came out all guns blazing against Pakistan at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, where Mendis unleashed his full arsenal of shots to finish with 122 off 77, with 14 fours and six sixes
Aiden Markram (South Africa): Beating AB de Villiers’s 52-ball ton against the West Indies in 2015, Markram brought up a breathtaking century in Delhi against the Sri Lankans, which took him just 49 balls. Combining decisive thinking with determined hitting, the knock proved why the 29-year-old is the spiritual successor to Mr 360. Markram was also among the runs against Australia, helping his team reach 311 in Lucknow with a stylish 56 off 44
Muhammad Rizwan (Pakistan): Having begun his World Cup with a steady hand of 68 off 75 versus the Netherlands, Rizwan was under the cosh when he came into bat with Pakistan at 37 for 2 in the eighth over against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. Babar Azam was already back in the hut, with a target of 345 looming large. But much like the great Pakistani middle-order batters of years past, Rizwan did not panic, even when he was wincing in pain. Instead, he paced his innings with an astute mixture of common sense and opportunism, finishing with an unbeaten 131 to anchor the highest World Cup chase of all-time
Ravindra Jadeja (India): With both Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav starting against the Aussies, many expected Jadeja to play a supporting role in the spin department. But Sir Jadeja had other plans, knocking off Steve Smith, Marunus Labuschagne and Alex Carey to put India in the driving seat. The beauty that Jadeja unleashed to disturb Smith’s stumps will go down as one of the balls of the World Cup. Unfortunately for Jadeja, similar success eluded him against Afghanistan, where he went wicketless in his eight overs
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand): After a tight display of two for 37 against England, Santner was the main architect of a convincing Kiwi victory against the Dutch. First, Santner essayed the role of a pinch-hitter to perfection, smashing his way to 36 not out off just 17 balls to steer New Zealand to 322. Then, with the ball in hand, Santner got more purchase out of the Hyderabad track than anticipated, pocketing the first five-wicket haul of this World Cup, at the cost of 59 runs
Matt Henry (New Zealand): With so much of the attention going to Tim Southee and Trent Boult in the New Zealand attack, Henry often goes under the radar. Not that it affects his performances, which were exactly what the Kiwis needed against England and the Netherlands. By getting the breakthrough of Dawid Malan in Ahmedabad, Henry picked up the first wicket of this World Cup, before adding the prized scalps of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran on the same day. In Hyderabad, he was equally consistent, grabbing three more wickets while once again going at under five runs per over
Hasan Ali (Pakistan): He may have gone for 71 runs in his 10 overs against Sri Lanka, but were it not for his timely wickets, the Lankans may well have reached 400 or more. Ali dismissed four of Sri Lanka’s top five at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, including centurions Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama. This was after he had been quietly impressive against the Netherlands, where he bowled seven overs for figures of two for 33
Jasprit Bumrah (India): Back in his groove as if he never had a long injury lay-off, Bumrah was on the money against both Australia and Afghanistan. India’s first World Cup wicket was inevitably his, getting rid of Mitchell Marsh, before he returned at the death in Chennai to send Pat Cummins packing. In Delhi, Bumrah was arguably even more influential for India than Rohit, with his four wickets coming at regular intervals and at the cost of only 39 runs