Back in 2022, I was at the University of Iowa finishing my PhD when I noticed a force quietly taking over campus: Caitlin Clark.
Over the next couple of years, Clark reshaped women’s college basketball: Viewership exploded with her jaw-dropping 3 pointers, every game was sold out (unfortunately before I could get a ticket), and Iowa reached the Final Four one season and finished as NCAA championship runners-up the next.
After graduation, she was picked up by the WNBA for a whopping…$78,000, far below the value she brought to the league.
Women’s cricket is entering a similar era. India’s World Cup victory has sparked excitement and optimism that the sport may finally see professional growth and meaningful investment.
But as momentum builds, the finances become increasingly important. In my previous article on The Economics of Women’s Cricket, we explored how each cricketing nation is investing in the women’s cricket. In this article, we broaden the scope and ask:
How wide is the gender pay gap across major sports?
Where does cricket sit within that debate?
And most importantly: are women cricketers earning a livable wage that supports a basic standard of living in their countries?
Will the Clark effect translate to cricket? Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Nat Sciver-Brunt earns an estimated $931,978 per year, one of the highest for a women’s cricketer (without sponsorships). However, that is less than the highest paid women in tennis, golf, and other sports where players are making $4-10 million annually.
Rishabh Pant and Pat Cummins (~$4-4.5 Million) are among the highest paid cricketers, but their annual salaries are not as competitive as Stephen Curry ($59.6M) or Shohei Ohtani ($70M).
The average international women’s cricketer in Australia, India, England, and New Zealand earns about $100,000-$200,000 a year, while players in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe earn between $2,000-$12,000 per year.
Tennis was the pioneer in pushing for pay parity with the US Open offering equal prize money for both men & women in 1973.
When the gender pay debate comes up, there are usually two sides of the debate.
Revenue-proportional pay: Athletes should earn proportional to the amount of money they generate for the league.
Investment-driven growth: Paying athletes fairly strengthens the league, improves quality, and drives revenue over time.
To understand pay in women’s cricket, I’ll compare league revenue, player salaries, and recent investments across team sports like basketball and soccer, and individual sports like tennis and golf.
We also look at Gross National Income (GNI) per capita with Atlas method, a social marker that determines the average income based on GDP, currency exchange rates, inflation, etc. (including income earned outside of the country).
For example, we will be looking at several leagues in the US. It’s good to keep in mind that the GNI of the United States is $83,660 (2024) so we can see how athletes salaries fare in comparison.
League by League Revenue and Salary Breakdown
I read over 110 articles to bring you salary and revenue information from different sports all in one sports.
*Note: Although the NFL is the most profitable league in the US sports market ($20.24 billion), we do not consider it in our analysis since there is no women equivalent of the NFL.
1. Basketball
Pay Disparity:Extremely High
NBA: National Basketball Association, WNBA: Women’s National Basketball Association
The average NBA salary ($11.9M) is over 116 times higher than the average WNBA salary ($102,249).
Even the lowest-paid NBA player makes more than 4 times the highest paid WNBA athlete.
The NBA generates approximately $28.9 million per player, while the WNBA revenue player generates $1.22 million per player.
NBA vs WNBA at a Glance
Category
NBA
WNBA
Founded
1946
1996
Estimated Salary Range
$1.16-$55.76 Million
$66,000-$250,000
Average Salary
$11.9 Million
$102,249
League Revenue
$13 billion (2024)
$180-200 Million (2023)
Salary as % of League Revenue
0.09% (11.9M/13B)
0.05% ($102K/190M)
Number of Teams
30
13
Number of Games/Team
82
34
Average Attendance
18,834/match 22.2 million (total)
10,986/match 3.14 million (total)
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $59.6 million (Stephen Curry), $304 Million (Jaylen Brown for 5-year contract)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $252,450 (Jackie Young on contract extension), $249,244 (Kelsey Mitchell)
The WNBA has secured a $2.2 billion deal for the next 11 years, averaging $200 million/year, up from the current deal of $60 million/year.
According to Sportico, the NBA is projected to hit $14.3 billion revenue in the 2025/26 season.
Revenue Per Player:
NBA: $28.9 million = ($13 billion league revenue)/(30 teams x 15 players per standard roster
WNBA: $1.22 million = ($190 million)/(13 x 15)
Bottom Line: While salaries remain far below NBA levels, rising media deals and growing brand valuation suggest the WNBA’s momenum may finally be shifting.
In 2022, the US Women’s team won a historic equal-pay settlement of $22 million in 2022, divided among 30 players on the USWNT roster (~$733,333 per player).
The USWNT, USMNT (Men’s National Team) CBA came to an agreement to pool FIFA prize money and split it equally (after 10% to US soccer for youth programs). The US Women’s Team has won 4 FIFA World Cups and 5 Olympic golds, while the men have not made it past the quarter-finals in recent history.
According to Forbes, top USWNT players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe earned around $7 million in 2023, combining on-field and off-field earnings. In contrast, the top male players like Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi earn around $120 million annually.
MLS: $2.86 million = $2.23B/(30 teams x 26 players)
NWSL: $223,000 = $75M/(14 x 24)
Note: MLS has 20 players on the roster with up to 10 supplemental players. Similarly, NWSL has 22 minimum players with up to 4 supplemental players.
Bottom Line: Although NWSL salaries are lower than MLS salaries, the disparity in league salary is nowhere near as extreme as basketball. Culturally, women’s soccer is more popular and the US women’s national team has made strides in pay parity (though other national soccer teams may still face wide gaps).
ATP: Association of Tennis Professionals, WTA: Women’s Tennis Associations
The median earnings for male professional tennis players ($22,362) is lower than for female players ($75,888). This is due to over 1000 professional men players compared to about 550 women.
The prize money for Grand Slams and other tournaments are largely equal.
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $20.3 million (Jannik Sinner, $47.3 million total with off-court earnings), $13.3 million (Carlos Alcaraz, $48.3 million with off-court earnings)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $12.4 million (Aryna Sabalenka, $15 million with off-court), $12.2 million (Coco Gauff, $25 million with off-court)
Prize money for this year’s Roland-Garros will total EUR 49.6m, up 12.3 per cent on 2022. With the aim of ensuring a more even distribution between players, the tournament organisers have significantly increased the prize money for first-round losers in the women’s and men’s… pic.twitter.com/3HC75KlnIP
In 1973, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money for both men & women ($25,000 then) after movement driven by Billie Jean King. The other Grand Slams would take a quarter of a century to make the same move: 2001 (Australian Open), 2006 (French Open), 2007 (Wimbledon).
Australian Open offered equal pay in 1984 and reverted to paying the men more in 1996 before going back in 2001.
In 2024, 28 men & 15 women earned at least $2 million. In his career, Novak Djokovic has won more than $190.2 million in prize money alone. Roger Federer is said to have breached the $1 billion mark.
2023 French Open total prize money was $56.8 million (€ 49.6 million). The winner of a Grand Slam, like the US open is about $2.5 million whereas even a first-round loss can yield $100,000.
According to Forbes, the world’s top ten highest paid tennis players made an estimated $285 million (the record was $343 million during the height of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic-Serena Williams).
The US Open’s revenue in 2024 was about $559.6 million. About 3.2 million fans attended the Grand Slams in 2025 (1.1 million – US, 1 million – Australian, 650,000 – French, 550,000 – Wimbledon)
Bottom Line: Prize money in professional tennis is far more balanced than most other sports. While off-court earnings still have large gaps, equal Grand Slam payouts show that both men & women have more equitable financial opportunities for this individual sport.
The average PGA salary (~$1.48M) is nearly seven times the median LPGA salary (~$213K).
Although women golfers are earning up to $6M in recent times, the highest paid male golfers are earning between $60-90M.
PGA vs LPGA at a Glance
Category
PGA
LPGA
Founded
1929
1950
Estimated Salary Range
$6,000-$92 million
$2,300-$6 Million
Average Salary
$1.48 million (2021)
$213,159 (Median 2024)
Winning Prize Money
$4.3 million (US Open) $3.6 million (The Masters) $3.3 million (PGA Championship) $3.1 million (Open Championship)
$2.4 Million (US Open) $487,500 (The Annika)
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $92 million (Jon Rahm, $102 million including off-course earnings), $67 million (Scottie Scheffler)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $4.5 million (Nelly Korda, $12.5 million with off-course)
Growth Trend and Recent Landmark Changes
Tiger Woods’ career earnings total about $120 million with Rory McIlroy closing in at $108 million.
According to Reuters, LIV golf, backed by Saudi funding, has invested about $5 billion over the last couple of years. The organization reportedly offered players like Jon Rahm $300 million to defect from the PGA Tour.
PGA, in response, upped the 2025 season prize money to $366.9 million. Combined with other tournaments, PGA golfers have an opportunity to play for $700 million in a year.
The total prize money for the ladies’ US Open was a $12 million purse and the Memorial PGA tournament was about $20 million. Other tournaments like the Chevron Championship, Evian Championship, and the AIG Women’s Open had a total purse around $8-10 million.
CBS and NBC renewed a 9-year media rights contract in 2022 for about $700 million.
The LPGA is currently in negotiations for a media deal that will put all North American golf matches live on TV. More investment like the ones with FM, U-NEXT deal in Japan is around the corner.
Bottom Line: Despite being around since the 1950s, the gap between top male and female golfers remain among the widest in professional sports.
National Professional Fastpitch (also known as the Women’s Pro Softball League) ran from 2004-2021. The average season salaries were around $3,000.
Although MLB players earn high average salary ($4.66M), they also play the most games (162), which brings their amount per match down to about $28,800.
Bottom Line: Softball players earn a fraction of their MLB counterparts, but the landscape is improving. AUSL is a major upgrade from the now defunct National Professional Fastpitch in terms of investment and support. Meanwhile, the men still have the potential to earn substantial amounts of money both on and off the field.
The NHL and Rogers Communications announced a $11 billion media rights deal in Canada. The NHL also has 7-year deals with Disney & Turner Sports around $200-400 million.
The PWHL signed deals with Fox, Paramount, and other networks.
Premier Hockey Federation, the precursor to the PWHL, paid its players an average of $45,000-$60,000 with top salaries reaching $80,000.
Bottom Line: The pay disparity may look extreme, but PWHL is a new league and is growing rapidly. Only time will tell if it succeeds, but it will take a lot to match a 100-year old NHL league.
UFC fighter Rousey said in 2019, “How much you get paid should have something to do with how much money you bring in. I am the highest paid fighter not because Dana or Lorenzo wanted to do something nice for the ladies. They do it because I bring in the highest numbers. They do it because I make them the most money. I think the money that they make should be proportionate to the money they bring in.”
College Sports, Law Suits, and Miscellaneous
College sports in the US is a separate altogether, but with NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), college athletes have started to get paid. However, now we are seeing disparity in college pay as well. Men’s basketball players earned an average of $171,272, while the women earned about $16,222 in 2024.
After tennis in 1972, several other individual sports followed equal prize money. By 2004, volleyball and skating offered equal prize money. By 2019, skiing, snowboarding, biking, and even the World Surf League announced equal prize money for both female & men competitors.
IPL: Indian Premier League, WPL: Women Premier League
The average IPL salary (~$460K) is higher than the highest-paid WPL player ($415K) with IPL players earning on average 5.5 times more than their WPL counterparts.
The revenue per player is approximately $2.7-$3.8 million in the IPL compared to about $816K in the WPL.
Even in the lower-tier cricket nations (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe), where salaries are lower, player earnings are still significantly above their countries’ GNI.
Category
IPL
WPL
Founded
2008
2023
Salary Range
$24,000-$3.2 Million
$12,000-$415,000
Average Salary
$459,743 (2023)
$82,522 (2023)
League Revenue
$691.3 Million (5761 Crore INR)
$71.86 Million (637 Crore INR)
Salary as % of League Revenue
0.067%
0.11%
Number of Teams
10
5
Number of Games/Team
14
8
Average Attendance
26,000/match
9,000-13,000/match
Highest Paid Athlete (IPL): $3.21 Million (Rishabh Pant)
The average salary for a WBBL player is $30,812 while the average BBL salary is $110,312. The Women’s Hundred pays around $38,077, while the men’s Hundred pays around $75,440 on average.
Men’s vs Women’s Salaries in Cricket (Country By Country Breakdown)
Australia, England, New Zealand, and India now have equal match fees for both men & women. West Indies has signed a MOU to create a pathway for equal match fees by 2027.
Note that match fees is not the same as equal salary, but it is still a step in the right direction. Match fees is how much a player is paid per match. However, women cricketers do not play as much volume of cricket (for example, NZ have equal match fees for Test cricket but the White Ferns have not played a Test in ages).
Bottom Line: Since 2017, women’s cricket has gained momentum through increased visibility, equal match fees, and the emergency of women’s franchise leagues, important steps toward professionalizing the sport. However, more needs to be done in the lower-tiered country to diminish the gap within women’s cricket. Finally, even though men’s cricketers earn high salaries, it is nowhere in comparison to the MLB or the NBA.
For the highest paid cricketers, we looked at franchise league earnings along with match fees and central contracts. Here is an example of how we calculated Pooran and Klaasen’s earnings.
Country
Men
Women
Australia
$3.6-$4.5 Million (Pat Cummins)
$831,951 (Ash Gardner)
England
$3.5-$3.85 Million (Jos Buttler)
$931,978 (Nat Sciver Brunt)
New Zealand
~$2.29 Million (Daryl Mitchell)
$435,755 (Amelia Kerr)
India
$4-$4.4 Million (Rishabh Pant)
$757,420 (Smriti Mandhana)
West Indies
$3.1-$4.1 Million (Nicholas Pooran)
$269,200 (Deandre Dottin)
South Africa
$3.5-$3.9 Million (Heinrich Klaasen)
$400,000-$480,000 (Marizanne Kapp)
Sri Lanka
$1.6-$1.8 Million (Matheesha Pathirana)
$226,741 (Chamari Athapaththu)
Pakistan
~$750,000 (Babar Azam)
N/A
Bangladesh
$390,000-$410,000 (Mustafizur Rahman)
$17,000-$20,000 (Nigar Sultana)
Ireland
$600,000-$800,000 (Josh Little)
$60,000-$100,000 (Gaby Lewis)
Zimbabwe
$122,000-$516,000 (Sikandar Raza)
N/A
Afghanistan
$2.2-$3.36 million (Rashid Khan)
N/A
Final Thoughts
Women in sports continue to earn far less than their male counterparts, but times are changing. Investment and visibility towards women’s sport is increasing, and so are their salaries.
Caitlin Clark may not get a paycheck close to Steph Curry’s at the moment, but the impact of athletes like Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese, Billie Jean King & Serena Williams, and of course, Harmanpreet Kaur leading India to victory is reshaping the landscape and pushing world sports closer to fair pay.
At 3:30 AM, I woke up with a jolt. First instinct: check Cricinfo. Were Kohli and Rohit still batting? Had I overslept my the innings-break nap?
Kohli was in the 20s, Rohit nearing his fifty. Phew. Relief. Breathe. They were still alive.
With one eye half-shut and one thumb on Twitter, I watched the duo bat on, one ball at a time.
At 4:47 AM, Rohit brought up his century, moments after Kohli reached his 50. Kohli gave him a hug. Both smiled. The crowd erupted. For that moment, the world seemed to pause. As if nothing else mattered.
Through the series, I celebrated each run, every fist bump, every catch and dive of Rohit and Kohli. My dad and brother would talk before and during each game as if the world’s luck depended on us.
I’d pray that India win the toss and bat. And shut off the TV after Kohli’s ducks.
But why was I acting like this? Growing up, you wouldn’t called me RoKo’s #1 fan. I used to watch every ball of any international game, follow all the T20 leagues, and stay up for a Bangladesh-Zimbabwe Test. So, why did this meaningless ODI bilateral series suddenly matter so much?
Maybe it was the realization that the end is near. Maybe because Australia appreciated these two players and knew how to give a proper farewell.
Both Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup. Expected.
Both retired from Tests. Slightly unexpected.
Then Rohit was replaced by Gill as ODI captain. Shocking. Questions started to murmur: Are they going to make it two more years? Will every series be an examination? Why is Jaiswal waiting in the wings?
And then Kohli scored two consecutive ducks for the first time in his career and waved goodbye to his beloved Adelaide supporters. All hell broke loose. Was the 3rd ODI going to be his last? Is his form dropping off the cliff? Was our childhood finally coming to an end?
We have seen transitions before. Father Time waits for no one.
Gavaskar and Kapil faded, Tendulkar and Dravid retired, Dhoni left (kinda). With each passing generation, India found new heroes, leaving behind a tinge of nostalgia for the past.
But for that one hour and seventeen minutes, Father Time paused, letting Rohit and Kohli shine, giving us a glimpse of what two upcoming emotional years could look like.
The post-match interviews ended. The sun rose. I drifted back to sleep. Time had moved on, but the memory of that morning will stay with me forever.
Thank you all for reading!
This is part of a new series of short articles, all under 500 words, where I try to make every word count. This one ended up at 429 words.
“The King Is About to Arrive”
I will leave you with these pieces of commentary gold from SEN cricket.
The fielders glance at the sky. Spectators snap their fingers.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
You step away from the cricket and take a walk.
Flowers drift with the breeze, river streams glisten. Even inside, you can hear each droplet of water as you wash the dishes, the TV humming softly in the background.
Back on the field, applause drifts across the stands. Commentators fill the silence. You begin to notice the shades of grass, the cracks on the pitch, the shape of the umpire’s hat.
Hours pass. The sun begins to set.
Friends catch up over a beer, rivals turn partners, families reunite.
The bowlers are still running in. And Cheteshwar Pujara is still there.
Block. A single. A couple of runs. A four down the ground. Block again.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
Cheteshwar Pujara could make you feel time and cricket in its purest form.
The crisp sound of his defensive stroke striking the middle of the willow had a beauty of its own.
You might not be glued to your screens for every ball, but you knew: as long as he was there, Team India was safe.
That safety net is now gone. Pujara has officially retired. In his own words, “All good things must come to an end.”
I vividly recall Pujara’s debut in 2010. In a tense second-innings chase of 207, he was sent in at #3 while Rahul Dravid was dropped down the order.
Pujara scored 72 (129) at a strike rate of 80.89. In that moment, I thought to myself, India had found an absolute gem.
At the same time, it felt like the beginning of the end for Rahul Dravid, my favorite player growing up (Here is the first article I ever wrote, What Rahul Dravid Taught Me).
The passing of the torch was happening in real time.
The Dawn of the Pujara Decade
Later that year in South Africa, Pujara struggled against the pace and bounce. However, after the horrors of 0-8 in 2011 and the retirements of Laxman and Dravid, he roared back into the side in 2012.
Between August 2012 and March 2013, Pujara score 159, 206*, 135, and 204 against New Zealand, England, and Australia, cementing his place in the team for a decade to come.
He continued delivering memorable knocks over the next four years: 153 at Johannesburg, carrying in bat with a 145* in Colombo, 202 at Ranchi, and a string of hundreds against Sri Lanka in 2017.
By the end of 2017, the 29-year old Pujara had played 53 Tests, averaging 53.38.
Pujara’s Annus Mirabilis – Australia’s Nightmare, His Masterpiece
In 1905, Albert Einstein published papers on photoelectric effect, special relativity, Brownian motion, and e=mc^2, all in a single year. Such a feat is called a scientists’ Annus Mirabilisor “miracle year.”
Sir Isaac Newton had his miracle year in 1665-1666 (calculus, laws of motion, gravity). Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898, Ramanujan revolutionized partitions and prime numbers in 1919-20, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps dominated 2008, and Sachin Tendulkar owned 1998.
For Cheteshwar Pujara, it was the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series.
Australia is notoriously a graveyard for visiting sides, especially Asian teams. India came close in 2003-04 with a 1-1 draw, but a series win remained elusive.
Against Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon in their prime, Pujara’s performances were nothing short of heroic: From 3/19, Pujara’s 123 at Adelaide revived India, followed it up with a 71 (204) in the second innings, a Boxing day century at the MCG, and a 193-run epic in Sydney.
After facing 1258 balls, scoring 521 runs with 3 centuries, he deservedly won the Player of the Series award in India’s historic 2-1 victory.
Pujara carried India on his shoulders in that series, cementing his place in the pantheon of legends in Indian cricket.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: The Series That Defined Grit
The next tour was not as prolific for Pujara, but he was every bit as instrumental.
He would score 271 runs off 928 balls. No hundreds, and three of his own slowest fifties. Yet he hung in there, took the body blows, and helped India edge to a 2-1 victory once again, coming back from 36/9.
An unlikely triumph, one of the most memorable in recent history.
The 2023 WTC Final, where India lost its second consecutive title, would be his last Test. In the final four years, Pujara averaged 20.37, 28.08, 45.44, and 25.85, dropping his career average from a peak of 67.63 (after 16 Tests) to 43.6.
Pujara-Kohli-Rahane were meant to succeed Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman. They all had their moments, a few prolific years, but it ended far too soon.
Rahane did not make it to 100 Tests, and Kohli fell 770 runs short of the 10K club. While Pujara crossed the 100-Test milestone, played 13 years, and scored 7195 runs, he faced 15,041 fewer balls than Dravid.
But numbers tell only part of the story. He batted in an era of challenging pitches where top-order batters struggled worldwide. Yet, he conquered the mighty Australians, not once, but twice.
Rahul Dravid’s ESPNCricinfo profile begins with “Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batters.”
He was a rare breed but was not alone: Chanderpaul, Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sangakkara stood alongside him. Later came Cook, Trott, Elgar, Azhar Ali, and yes, Pujara.
Although Root and Williamson carry on the tradition of Test match batting, their style blends the old with the modern.
But with Pujara’s retirement, it feels like the cricket world has truly witnessed the last of the classical Test batters.
The end of an era.
What Cheteshwar Pujara Taught Me
We live in a world of Reels and TikToks, where watching a 15-second clip seems too long, a 45-minute class boring, and a five-year career? Unfathomable.
In a world of instant gratification, Pujara reminds me that old-school values still matter.
Resilience. Patience. Grit. These words immediately spring to mind when you think of Pujara. His relationship with time was beyond imagination. The ability to have a long-term vision, while making every moment count.
What Will I Remember the Most?
Apart from the Australia series and the partnerships, I will remember Pujara’s cut shots, and movement against spin. Speaking of spin, a word on Nathan Lyon.
Nathan Lyon vs Pujara was one of our generation’s greatest contests. One of the finest off-spinners of all-time tried every trick, and all Pujara does is dance down the wicket, and pad him away. Something I will never forget.
I highly recommend watching the first season of The Ashes. The Australians saw so much of Pujara that he broke them mentally and physically. I will leave you with some quotes from that web series:
“Pujara, to a younger generation, is almost a curiosity. As the game moves more and more towards T20, the savior of our game, the word ‘resilience’ starts to go out, because there is no time for resilience.”
– Harsha Bhogle
“Pujara is old school, he’s a classic Test match batsman.”
We knew the end was near. The runs had dried up. The spark wasn’t quite the same.
But he had just won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and looked fit as ever. We thought there was still time—one last tour, one final roar, a 2010 Tendulkar-esque year.
And then, just like that, it was over.
No farewell match. No final Test century.
Just the silence that follows the end of something important, the kind that lingers when you never got to say goodbye.
Those five days in Adelaide changed everything. Twin centuries and going for the win in the 2nd innings. Although that shot to Nathan Lyon still haunts me, that loss still felt like a win.
India was not afraid because Kohli was not afraid.
In Melbourne, Kohli and his partner in crime, Rahane, took Johnson on and shred him apart. They matched Australia’s pace attack blow for blow.
Remember, this is the same Mitchell Johnson that was at his peak in 2013, single-handedly dismantling England’s No. 1 Test team and striking fear in the eyes of South Africa’s batters.
For anybody that lived through the 0-8 horrors of 2011, this felt like a beginning of a new dawn for Indian Test cricket.
Kohli didn’t just play.
He fought. Believed. He risked it to see how far he and his team could go.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
— Rumi
Over the years, Kohli did not just evolve as a cricketer, but grew as a human being.
He carried the weight of a nation. He changed his lifestyle and started a fitness revolution.
To help India win abroad, he nurtured a bowling attack that would become the envy of the world. He did more for Test cricket than the World Test Championship itself.
He began his career trying to prove his worth to everybody By the time he retired, he had become a father & a family, a wise leader, and a teammate others could count on.
I wanted him to score runs and wear his heart on his sleeve because he lived the way I sometimes wished I could. He was everything I never quite let myself be.
He taught me to never back down, keep pushing even when I didn’t feel like it. But most of all, he showed me what it means to give yourself completely to your craft.
You can question his antics. You can question his demeanor. But you can’t question his commitment. And that—that’s who I’d like to be.
Test cricket loses more than just a cricketer or batter today. It loses its soul, its most passionate son.
Goodbye, Virat. And thank you. For making us feel…well everything. Carrying Test cricket like it mattered more than anything else. Showing us what it looks like to care.
Kohli gave us joy. He entertained us.
Frustrated us, inspired us, and earned our respect. He even made us question his technique outside off.
He made us smile. And now, he’s making us cry.
Goodbye, Virat.
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Thank you all for reading!
They were not quite their predecessors. But they were ours.
Pujara didn’t scale Dravid’s walls. Rahane couldn’t emulate Laxman’s miracles. Rohit didn’t dominate Test match opening like Sehwag once did. And Virat didn’t quite reach the mountain top Tendulkar stood on.
What is greatness? William Shakespeare once aptly said,
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”
Today we discuss the greatest Indian cricketers of all-time across formats and eras. Some of them are born geniuses. Others toiled their way to greatness, one ball at a time.
Let’s be honest, we have all done this exercise in our head a few times in our lives. However, with India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory, the nation now has new heroes.
We considered over 150 cricketers who have represented India in the last 130 years and came up with the Top 60.
Here is sneak peek—Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni have been chosen as the Top 5 Greatest Indian cricketers of all-time.
We looked at India’s major victories and which players contributed to those triumphs. This includes famous Test wins, T20 & ODI World Cup wins, Champions Trophy, etc.
World Cup Wins: 1983 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup
Other ICC Wins: 2002 Champions Trophy, 2013 Champions Trophy
Runners Up: 2000 Champions Trophy, 2003 ODI World Cup, 2014 T20 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy, 2023 ODI World Cup
Major Test Series Victories: India Tour of England 1971, India Tour of England 1986, Australia Tour of India 2001, Border Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19, Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21
For cricketers who played before the 1970s, we considered anecdotal references and stories as well as first class statistics.
Statistics
We considered statistics across formats in each of the areas: batting, bowling, fielding, keeping, and captaincy.
Most Wickets
Test
ODI
T20I
A Kumble (619)
A Kumble (334)
Y Chahal (96)
R Ashwin (516)
J Srinath (315)
B Kumar (90)
K Dev (434)
A Agarkar (288)
J Bumrah (89)
H Singh (417)
Z Khan (269)
H Pandya (86)
I Sharma (311)
H Singh (265)
A Singh (83)
Z Khan (311)
K Dev (253)
R Ashwin (72)
R Jadeja (294)
R Jadeja (220)
K Yadav (69)
B Bedi (266)
V Prasad (196)
A Patel (62)
B Chandrashekar (242)
M Shami (195)
R Jadeja (54)
J Srinath (236)
I Pathan (173)
R Bishnoi (48)
Most Runs
Test
ODI
T20I
S Tendulkar (15921)
S Tendulkar (18426)
R Sharma (4231)
R Dravid (13265)
V Kohli (13872)
V Kohli (4188)
S Gavaskar (10122)
S Ganguly (11221)
SK Yadav (2432)
V Kohli (8848)
R Dravid (10768)
KL Rahul (2265)
VVS Laxman (8781)
R Sharma (10767)
S Dhawan (1759)
V Sehwag (8503)
MS Dhoni (10599)
MS Dhoni (1617)
S Ganguly (7212)
M Azharuddin (9378)
S Raina (1605)
C Pujara (7195)
Y Singh (8609)
H Pandya (1523)
D Vengsarkar (6868)
V Sehwag (7995)
R Pant (1209)
M Azharuddin (6215)
S Dhawan (6793)
Y Singh (1177)
Most Matches As Captain
*Matches Won/Matches Captained
Test
ODI
T20I
V Kohli (40/68)
MS Dhoni (110/200)
MS Dhoni (41/72)
MS Dhoni (27/60)
M Azharuddin (90/174)
R Sharma (49/62)
S Ganguly (21/49)
S Ganguly (76/146)
V Kohli (30/50)
M Azharuddin (14/47)
V Kohli (65/95)
H Pandya (10/16)
S Gavaskar (9/47)
R Dravid (42/79)
SK Yadav (7//10)
Most Dismissals As Keeper
Test
ODI
T20I
MS Dhoni (294)
MS Dhoni (438)
MS Dhoni (91)
S Kirmani (198)
N Mongia (154)
R Pant (49)
R Pant (133)
K More (90)
D Karthik (27)
K More (130)
R Dravid (86)
S Samson (13)
N Mongia (107)
KL Rahul (56)
I Kishan (12)
Most Catches
Test: R Dravid (209), VVS Laxman (135), S Tendulkar (115), V Kohli (111), S Gavaskar (108)
ODI: M Azharuddin (156), V Kohli (151), S Tendulkar (140), R Dravid (124), S Raina (102)
T20I: R Sharma (65), V Kohli (54), H Pandya (47), SK Yadav (45), S Raina (42)
The Honorable Mentions
Future Stars
These players were not considered in the list (currently), but will most likely be considered greats of Indian cricket by the time they retire.
Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shubman Gill, Ravi Bishnoi, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj, Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal (712 runs in a series, wow!), Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul
For each cricketer listed, we considered the number of international matches played across formats (longevity), player of match/series awards (impact), notable achievements (specific Test series & World Cup stats), and if they captained India, played 100 Tests, and/or won a World Cup.
If a retired player satisfies any of the following criteria, then they automatically make the list:
9 Player of the Match Awards
300+ International Wickets
10000+ International Runs
*Note: Shri Ranjitsinhji and Duleepsinhji, two of the greatest cricketers of Indian origin after whom the ‘Ranji’ and ‘Duleep’ trophies are named, do not feature in this list because they represented England in their international career.
Without taking any more of your time, let’s go!
60. Kiran More (1984-1993, Baroda)
Role: Wicketkeeper/Batter
A constant figure behind the stumps for India in the late eighties, More will be remembered for the most stumpings in a match (6) in Narendra Hirwani’s debut Test where he took 16 wickets.
Matches Played: 143
Runs: 1848
Player of Match Awards: 0
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 4th Most Dismissals in Test for India
Possibly the best forward short-leg fielder of all-time, his contribution cannot be understated in uplifting India’s spin quartet. Has one Test century to his name, 8 FC tons, and 276 FC wickets.
Matches: 34
Runs: 1095, Wickets: 22
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 53 catches in 27 Tests, the best ratio for a non-wicketkeeper.
The highest T20I wicket-taker for India…and has yet, never played a single T20 WC game. Was not picked for 2021 T20WC and was on the sidelines of the others (including 2024). However, it was ODI cricket between 2016-2019, where the duo of Chahal-Kuldeep became a deadly combination. Lack of batting prowess probably hurt his ability to find a place in the XI more often.
Matches Played: 152
Wickets: 217
Player of Match Awards: 9
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Highest wicket-taker in T20Is for India (96)
5359 runs at 37.47 average with 6 ODIs in the lower middle order, Jadeja will be remembered for match-winning knocks, quick finishes, and athletic fielding. International career ended due to match-fixing investigations.
Matches: 211
Runs: 5935
Player of Match Awards: 10
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 50 dismissals to his name in ODIs to go along with 5000 runs
Pivotal to India’s maiden Test series victory in England, Sardesai had a fruitful 1971. 789 runs at 60.69 with three centuries. Also had a spectacular 1965, averaging 120 in 3 Tests against New Zealand.
Matches Played: 30
Runs: 2001
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 642 Runs in West Indies (1970-71), 449 vs England (1963-64), scored 200* as his first hundred
Solid batter, had a great record against New Zealand – 507 runs at 84.5 with 3 centuries and England – 1181 runs at 43.74 with 3 centuries and 5 fifties.Scored 38 first class tons.
Matches Played: 55
Runs: 3208
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 586 runs vs England (1961-62), Scored 100 in final Test
India’s best wicketkeeper before Kirmani. Had the challenge to keep to the Fab 4 spin quartet. Handy batter himself, scored 2 Test hundreds and 16 fifties.
Matches Played: 51
Runs: 2725
Player of Match Awards: 2 (1 ‘fielder of the match’)
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Took 66 catches and inflicted 16 stumpings in Tests.
Now known for his public speaking abilities, it was Sidhu’s bat that did the talking in the late 80s and early 90s. Could hit sixes at will and established a formidable career as an opener. Has a double century to his name in the West Indies.
Matches Played: 187
Runs: 7615
Player of Match Awards: 15
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Scored four consecutive centuries in the 1987 ODI WC
Player of the series in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket, Shastri won several matches for India in his career. Scored 11 Test hundreds including a 206 in Sydney along with 11 four-wicket hauls in Tests. Later, coached Team India and lives in the hearts & minds of Indian cricket fans through his voice.
Matches Played: 230
Wickets: 280, Runs: 6938
Player of Match Awards: 14
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅ (11 ODIs, 1 Test)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 77.75 average vs Australia (10 Tests), Player of the series (World Championship of Cricket)
Was the central figure behind the stumps in the seventies and eighties. Kept for India’s spin quartet, the dibbly dobbly medium pacers, and Kapil Dev. Two Test tons to his name as well.
Matches Played: 137
Runs: 3132
Player of Match Awards: 0
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 3rd Most stumpings in a career.
India’s captain in the overseas 1971 Test victories over England and West Indies.Although he only had a solitary hundred in Test cricket (143), he dominated FC cricket: 15380 runs at 47.03 average and 36 centuries.
Matches Played: 39
Runs: 2186
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Got close to Test hundred several times: 99, 91*, 91, 87, 85, 80.
Uncoventional, yet effective. Pant may rise up this list as his career grows, but he has already made a case for himself with his exploits in Test cricket, especially against Australia. 89* at the Gabba, 97 at Sydney (2021), 159* also at Sydney (2019), 146 at Birmingham, and 114 at the Oval. Also to make an international comeback and and help India lift the 2024 T20WC squad after the accident that changed his life around is a wonderful story on its own. Short career so far, but impactful nevertheless.
Matches Played: 139
Runs: 4345
Player of Match Awards: 4
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Joint Most dismissal in a Test match (11 vs Australia, 2018), Six times dismissed in the 90s in Test cricket
43. Krishnamachari Srikkanth (1981-1992, Tamil Nadu)
Role: Batter
Before Sehwag, there was Srikkanth. Scoring 4091 ODI runs with 4 hundreds at 71.74 SR (quick for the time) established him as India’s mainstay at the top of the order. Top scored in the 1983 WC Final.
Matches Played: 189
Runs: 6153
Player of Match Awards: 13
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Has a high score of 123 in both Tests and ODIs, Most Runs in World Championship of Cricket (1985)
Ishant Sharma’s spell against Ricky Pontinghad everyone convinced that India had found their next fast bowling sensation. Did he fulfill his potential? Maybe, maybe not. Described as ‘unlucky’ for early part of the career, the 2011 series against West Indies rejuvenated his Test career. He would go on to establish himself as the leader of the attack with a magnificent 7/74 at Lord’s in 2014.
Matches Played: 199
Wickets: 434
Player of Match Awards: 6
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 22 wickets vs West Indies (2011)
One of India’s most gifted swing bowlers.Set the tone in ODI cricket. Had his best Test against England at Lord’s in 2014 when he took 6/82. Also made several crucial runs at #8.
Matches Played: 229
Wickets: 294
Player of Match Awards: 11
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 4th Most Maidens in T20I career (10)
Scored India’s first Test ton (and his only 100) and was independent India’s first Test captain. Also scored 31 first class hundreds and took 463 wickets to go along with 10,426 FC runs. A prominent figure in India’s early cricket history and contributed through various roles after his cricketing career.
Matches Played: 24
Runs: 878
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
Notable Achievements: Scored India’s first Test hundred
Went onto score 112 during the partnership of 203 with Vijay Merchant, becoming the first Indian to score an overseas Test hundred. Had an outstanding FC career with 30 tons and over 13,000 runs.
Matches Played: 11
Runs: 612
Captained India? ✅
Notable Achievements: Scored India’s first overseas Test century, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is named after him
Not being picked for most of his 20s, Suryakumar Yadav has made the most of his opportunities since 2021. 2432* T20I runswith 4 T20I hundreds, 20 fifties, 168.65 SR at 42.66 average not only make him India’s premier T20 batter, but one of the best T20I batters of all-time.
Matches Played: 109
Runs: 3213
Player of Match Awards: 16
Player of Series Awards: 6
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Most Player of the Match Awards in T20Is (16), 2nd Most T20I runs in a year (1164 in 2022)
India’s number 4-5-6 of Yuvraj-Dhoni-Raina is one of the most dynamic middle orders of all-time. Raina had it all, the off spin, the fielding, and the batting. His clutch finishes in the 2011 QF and SF will be remembered for generations to come. 5615 ODI runs at 93.5 SR establishes him as an ODI great.
Matches Played: 322
Runs: 7988
Player of Match Awards: 15
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Hit century on Test debut (120), First Indian to score a century in each format
Mohammad Shami in the ODI World Cups is a legendary figure. 55 wickets, best of 7/57 at the best average (13.52) and best strike rate (15.81) of anyone in the list. Don’t forget his memorable spells in Test cricket either.
Matches Played: 188
Wickets: 448
Player of Match Awards: 9
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 5th Most Wickets in ODI World Cups (55)
Possibly India’s most misunderstood cricketer, Gautam Gambhir’s performances at clutch times established him as the batter of his times. The 2007 T20 WC Final, 2011 ODI WC Final, and the stonewalling 137 against New Zealand will be remembered as his most prominent knocks.
Matches Played: 242
Runs: 10324
Player of Match Awards: 15
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Highest Individual Scorer in the 2007 T20 World Cup Final (75) and the 2011 ODI World Cup Final (97), 463 runs vs Australia (2008-09), 445 runs vs New Zealand (2008-09)
Considered one of India’s greatest captains. Led India in its first overseas Test win (NZ, 1967).
Matches Played: 46
Runs: 2793
Player of Match Awards: 1 (‘batsman of the match’)
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1968), Made 64 (206) and 148 (348) at #6 vs England in 1967. This still stands as a record for the most number of balls played by a #6 batter in the history of Test cricket (554).
Although Venkataraghavan had 1390 wickets in his first class career, he was often left out as the fourth of the spin quartet. Yet he played for 18 years and took 156 Test wickets. Was India’s captain in the 1975 & 1979 ODI World Cups.
Matches Played: 72
Wickets: 161
Player of Match Awards: 0
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅ (7 Tests, 5 ODIs)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Best of 8/72 vs New Zealand (1965), took 35 wickets in the 1970-71 season
Will always be remembered for the player of the match in the 1983 ODI WC that changed the nature of Indian cricket. Was a stellar batter in his own right. In the 1982 season, he scored 1077 runs, 4 hundreds, and 7 fifties.
Matches Played: 154
Runs: 6302, Wickets: 78
Player of Match Awards: 10
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Player of the 1983 World Cup Final, 598 runs vs West Indies (1982-83), 584 vs Pakistan (1982-83), 445 runs vs Australia (1977-78), 237 runs & 8 wickets in 1983 ODI WC
Yet another member of the famed quartet, Prasanna was known for his flight. Dominated the Trans-Tasman teams in the late 1960s and the main contributor to India’s first Test overseas victory in New Zealand. He was a beast at the FC level, 957 wickets and 54,823 balls bowled. He was also an engineer.
Matches Played: 49
Wickets: 189
Player of Match Awards: 1 (‘bowler of the match’)
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 26 Wickets vs Australia (1969-70), 25 Wickets vs Australia (1967-68), 24 Wicket vs New Zealand (1967-68), 8/76 vs New Zealand
A player for the ICC tournaments like no other. Shikhar Dhawan between 2013-2019 was one of India’s prime match winners. Unfortunate injury in the 2019 World Cup ended his stint at the top, but not before he scored yet another magnificent century. Formed the star top order with Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli.
Matches Played: 269
Runs: 10867
Player of Match Awards: 19
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 187 on Test debut, Player of the Series & Most Runs – 2013 Champions Trophy, Most Runs – 2017 Champions Trophy, Highest Runs for India – 2015 ODI World Cup, Scored 5193 runs with Rohit Sharma
Marred by polio, Chandrasekhar had a different sort of jumpy action. The fact that he established a career is astonishing by itself. That he took 242 Test wickets, 42 in overseas conditions, is even more staggering.
Matches Played: 59
Wickets: 245
Player of Match Awards: 1 (‘bowler of the match’)
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 35 wickets vs England (1972-73), 28 Wickets vs Australia (1977-78), Best of 8/79 vs England (1972), 16 career 50fers
The Ashes documentary sums up the significance of Cheteshwar Pujara pretty well. ‘This man just bats…and bats…and bats…’ India will always remain indebted to Pujara for their first Test series victory in Australia in 2018. And in the 2020-21 series, he was just as gritty, assured, and monumental to India’s win. With 100 Tests and 19 hundreds to his name, he is has become a certified legend.
Matches Played: 108
Runs: 7246
Player of Match Awards: 6
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India?❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 521 runs vs Australia (2018-2019)
One of the more stylish batters, Viswanath was a mainstay of the Indian middle order for much of the 1970s. His name is connected to Sunil Gavaskar in more ways than one.
Matches Played: 116
Runs: 6519
Player of Match Awards: 2
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅ (2 Tests, 1 ODI)
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 568 runs vs West Indies (1974-75), 518 runs vs Australia (1979-1980), 497 vs West Indies (1978-79), 473 vs Australia (1977-78), 466 vs England (1981-82), Scored a century on debut
A man with three FC triple centuries batting at #8 shows you the depth in Indian cricket. Jadeja can finish T20 games, can score 77 in an ODI World Cup semi-final, destroy opponents with his spin or with his iconic direct hits. An all-rounder in all sense of the game. Currently #7 on India’s most Test & ODI wicket-taker list and still rising up the charts. 25 player of the match awards – Wow!
Matches Played: 343
Wickets: 568, Runs: 6307
Player of Match Awards: 25
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 26 Wickets vs England (2016-17), 26 Wickets vs Australia (2016-17), 24 Wickets vs Australia (2012-13), 23 wickets vs South Africa (2015-16), Best of 7/42 vs Australia (2023), Most Wickets in the 2013 Champions Trophy
India’s 2011 World Cup is remembered by many moments—Dhoni’s 97* and the six, Gambhir’s 91, Yuvraj Singh’s all-round performances, Suresh Raina’s crucial finishes, Tendulkar’s hundreds. But none of it would be possible without Zaheer Khan’s 21 wickets (joint most of the WC). His Test career was pretty stellar as well with 311 wickets. His stellar record against Graeme smith, the swing, his action, and celebrations will be what he is remembered by.
Matches Played: 303
Wickets: 597
Player of Match Awards: 12
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌ (92)
Notable Achievements: Highest Wicket-Taker of the 2011 ODI CWC
116 Tests, 6868 runs, 17 hundreds, 42.13 average. By the time he retired, he was statistically the best batter in the country after Sunil Gavaskar. Made the #3 position his own.
Matches Played: 245
Runs: 10376
Player of Match Awards: 9
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Scored 4 hundreds in 1979, 4 in 1986, and 4 in 1987.
Captain charismatic, wristy, and soft spoken, Azharuddin ruled the hearts of Indian cricket fans in the 90s. With 9378 ODI runs and 6215 Test runs, Azhar was central to India’s middle order. Unfortunately, the match fixing scandal brought down his career.
Matches Played: 433
Runs: 15593
Player of Match Awards: 23
Player of Series Awards: 6
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌ (99)
Notable Achievements: Scored hundreds in 3 consecutive Tests, scored a hundred on debut.
Regarded as “Bradman of the East”, Merchant scored 13470 first class runs at an average of 71.64 with 45 centuries. His international career was stalled due to the Second World War, but was considered one of the greats of the era. Spearheaded the legacy of Bombay’s batting in Indian cricket.
Matches Played: 10
Runs: 859
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Scored his highest score of 154 in his last innings in 1951.
If you are an Indian cricket fan, you have copied Harbhajan Singh’s bowling action in your living room on your way to the kitchen. Harbhajan was a mainstay in India’s XI for the better part of the decade in both Tests and ODIs. His contributions to the 2001 Australia series will always go down as one of India’s best individual performances. Also a handy six hitter down the order.
Matches Played: 365
Wickets: 707
Player of Match Awards: 11
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 25 career Test 5-fers, 32 Wickets vs Australia (2000-01), Best of 8/84 vs Australia
47.65 average with 7 centuries in Test cricket. His record in FC cricket even more incredible—18,740 runs, 60 tons, average of 58.38, and a couple of triple centuries to go with it. Also had 595 first class wickets. Led India to its first Test win, and according to The Wisden Cricketer, “When World II brought cricket to a standstill, much of the credit for keeping the game alive in India must go to Hazare, who with Vijay Merchant took part in run-scoring duels that drew crowds of 20-30,000 to Bombay’s Braborne Stadium.”
Matches Played: 30
Runs: 2192
Captained India? ✅
Notable Achievements: Scored an innings in each Test against Australia, first Indian to do so, scored centuries in 3 consecutive Tests, 543 runs vs West Indies (1948-49), first Indian cricketer to score a Ranji trophy triple century. The Vijay Hazare Trophy is named in his honor
Gupte was considered the best leg spinner of his era. His 9/102 was the best individual performance for decades to come. Unfortunately, he ended his career at 32 after a controversy in which he was wrongfully accused.
Matches Played: 36
Wickets: 149
Captained India? ❌
Notable Achievements: 34 wickets vs New Zealand (1955-56), 27 Wickets vs West Indies (1952-53), 9/102 vs West Indies (1958)
According to Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, Mankad was “one of the greatest allrounders that India has ever produced.” His name gets maligned with the form of dismissal, but Mankad is truly one of India’s legends. Was the other batter with Pankaj Roy in the record 413-run partnership.
Matches Played: 44
Runs: 2109, Wickets: 162
Captained India? ✅
Notable Achievements: 526 runs vs New Zealand (1955-56), 34 wickets vs England (1951-52), 25 wickets vs Pakistan (1952-53), 8/52 vs Pakistan (1952), 9/55 vs England (1952)
When Yuvraj was on rhythm, there was no stopping him. He performed when it mattered the most, 2002 Natwest Trophy Final, 2007 SF vs Australia, and 2011 – The Entire World Cupwith both bat and ball. With the backdrop of cancer in the 2011 CWC, Yuvraj’s story is extraordinary. India never really truly replaced Yuvraj at #4 for the better part of the decade.
Matches Played: 399
Runs: 11686
Player of Match Awards: 34
Player of Series Awards: 8
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements:Six sixes vs England in the 2007 T20 World Cup, Player of the Tournament – 2011 ODI WC
Without Bumrah, there would be no 2024 T20 World Cup victory. Without Bumrah, there wouldn’t be several of the Test victories. When India needs to pull victory from the jaws of defeat, the ball is thrown to Jasprit Bumrah. Once in a generation comes a player so unique that everybody can just sit back and appreciate. We don’t know how Bumrah does what he does, but he is India’s national treasure for sure.
Matches Played: 195
Wickets: 397
Player of Match Awards: 13
Player of Series Awards: 5
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌ (Not Yet)
Notable Achievements: Player of the Tournament in the 2024 T20 World Cup, 23 wickets vs England (2021-22)
Perhaps played the greatest innings in the 21st century. The 281 against Australia came against a rampant Australian side while Indian cricket was reeling with the match-fixing scandal. VVS Laxman’s innings changed the narrative and drew India into its golden age. Will be remembered for his knocks against Australia across formats as well as the three gutsy rearguard knocks in 2010.
Matches Played: 220
Runs: 11119
Player of Match Awards: 10
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 503 runs vs Australia (2000-01), 494 runs vs Australia (2003-04), 474 runs vs West Indies (2002)
319, 309, 293, 254. Virender Sehwag’s legacy will forever be attached to his mammoth Test hundreds. He set the tone in ODI cricket as an opener, but it was Test cricket where Viru’s greatness is defined.
Matches Played: 363
Runs: 16892
Player of Match Awards: 31
Player of Series Awards: 6
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Highest Individual Test Score for India, 219 in ODI, 544 runs vs Pakistan (2004-05), 491 vs Sri Lanka (2009-10), 464 vs Australia (2003-04)
According to Sunil Gavaskar, Bedi was the “finest left-hand bowler” he had ever seen. At the time of his retirement, Bedi’s was the highest wicket-taker in Tests for India (266). Also took a mammoth 1560 wickets in first class cricket thanks to his exploits with Northamptonshire in County Cricket. Formed India’s fearsome spin quartet.
Matches Played: 77
Wickets: 273
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 31 Wickets vs Australia (1977-78), 25 Wickets vs England (1976-77), 25 Wickets vs England (1972-73), 22 wickets vs New Zealand (1976-77), 14 career 5-fers
All the accolades India are receiving now can be traced back to the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. He instilled confidence in the young side and helped build the cored that lifted the 2011 ODI World Cup (Zaheer, Sehwag, Yuvraj). Apart from captaincy, will go down as one of the great ODI batters in the history of the game.
Matches Played: 421
Runs: 18433
Player of Match Awards: 37
Player of Series Awards: 9
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 534 runs vs Pakistan (2007-08), 4th Most Player of the Match Awards for India
One of the great Test off-spinners of all-time, Ravichandran Ashwin helped establish the home Tests as a fortress. Apart from bowling, Ashwin established himself as one of premier spinner all-rounders of the generations with six Test centuries. His fighting spirit in BGT in the Sydney Test, holding up an end while battling a back injury epitomizes his character. One of the great thinkers of the game.
Matches Played: 281
Wickets: 744, Runs: 4200
Player of Match Awards: 16
Player of Series Awards: 11
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 32 Wickets vs England (2020-21), 31 Wickets vs South Africa (1979-1980), 29 Wickets vs Australia (2012-13), 28 Wickets vs England (2016-17), 27 Wickets vs New Zealand (2016-17), 26 Wickets vs England (2023-24), 25 Wickets vs Australia (2022-23), 36 career 5-fers
Took the baton from Vijay Merchant to continue to Mumbai school of batting. At the time of his retirement, Umrigar held the record for the most Tests, most runs, and most wickets.
Matches Played: 59
Runs: 3631
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
Notable Achievements: 560 runs vs West Indies (1952-53), Scored a 100 and took 5 wickets vs West Indies (1962)
One of the most pleasing batters to watch (especially the pull shot), Sharma has a made a career on the back of gigantic ODI hundreds: 264, 209, 208*, 171*, 162, 159, 152*, 150. Begun as a 2007 T20 World Cup champion, dropped before the 2011 WC, and reinvented his career as an opener in 2013. Post-2013, he never looked back. Finally made it big as a Test opener late in his career and capped his legacy with the great runs in the 2023 ODI WC and the 2024 T20 WC win as captain.
Matches Played: 481
Runs: 19199
Player of Match Awards: 42
Player of Series Awards: 9
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 2024 T20 World Cup & 2025 ICC Champions Trophy winning captain, 529 runs vs South Africa (2019-20), Scored 3 double centuries in ODI cricket
‘Jumbo’ is still India’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs and Tests. A central figure in India’s XI for a decade and a half, he will always be remembered for his 10-wicket inning haul against Pakistan. Retired on a high as India’s Test captain.
Matches Played: 401
Wickets: 953
Player of Match Awards: 16
Player of Series Awards: 5
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 35 career 5-fers, 27 Wickets vs Australia (2004-05), 24 wickets vs Australia (2003-04), 23 wickets vs Australia (1997-98), 23 wickets vs West Indies (2006), 10/74 vs Pakistan and 8/141 vs Australia
The man in the center of each of India’s memorable overseas Test victories, Rahul Dravid, ‘The Wall’ was the glue to India’s middle order. He adapted his way to a fruitful ODI career, became a wicketkeeper, a captain, and eventually an U-19 & senior World Cup winning coach.
Matches Played: 504
Runs: 24064
Player of Match Awards: 25
Player of Series Awards: 4
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Not as player)
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 619 runs vs Australia (2003-04), 602 vs England (2002), 496 runs vs West Indies (2006), 461 runs vs England (2011), Highest Scorer of the 1999 ODI Cricket World Cup
MS Dhoni arrived to the scene with the 148 v Pakistan and 183* v Sri Lanka in 2005 with that iconic hair. However, it was his exploits as captain between 2007 to 2013 (and later with the Chennai Super Kings franchise), that took him from great to legendary status. And don’t forget, behind the stumps, he was best in the business with lightning fast stumpings.
Matches Played: 535
Runs: 17092
Player of Match Awards: 22
Player of Series Awards: 6
World Cup Winner? ✅ ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Player of the 2011 World Cup Final, Captain of India as India lifted the 2007 T20WC, 2011 ODIWC, and 2013 Champions Trophy
From a brash young man to fitness freak to the great Test captain, Virat Kohli’s evolution has been a dream to follow. Perhaps the greatest ODI batter and definitely the greatest chaser of all-time, his attitude defined his greatness and carried India to the upper echelons of world cricket.
Matches Played: 531
Runs: 26922*
Player of Match Awards: 67
Player of Series Awards: 19
World Cup Winner? ✅ ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements:
692 runs vs Australia (BGT 2014-15), 655 vs England (2016-17), 610 vs Sri Lanka (2017-18), 593 vs England (2018)
Captain. All-rounder. Fast Bowler. Lower Order Six Hitter. India has never and may never see an enigmatic character like Kapil Dev again.434 wickets and 175* in the pivotal 1983 WC match against Zimbabwe are some of the highlights of his career.
Matches Played: 356
Wickets: 687, Runs: 9031
Player of Match Awards: 19
Player of Series Awards: 5
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: India’s first WC winning captain, 303 runs & 12 wickets in the 1983 WC, 23 career Test 5-fers, Best of 9/83 vs WI, 8/85 vs Pakistan, and 8/106 vs Australia, 32 Wickets vs Pakistan (1979-1980), 29 wickets vs West Indies (1983-84), 28 Wickets vs Australia (1979-1980), 25 wickets vs Australia (1991-92), 24 wickets vs Pakistan (1982-83)
India’s first superstar, Sunil Gavaskar defied bowling attacks around the world without a helmet. 10,000 runs and 34 Test hundreds became the benchmark for other batters to follow. The original ‘Little Master.’
Matches Played: 233
Runs: 13214
Player of Match Awards: 10
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 774 runs in West Indies (1970-71), 732 runs vs West Indies in India (1978-1979), 542 runs vs England (1979), 529 runs vs Pakistan (1979-1980), 505 runs vs West Indies (1983-84), 500 runs vs England (1981-82), 450 runs vs Australia (1977-78), 447 runs vs Pakistan (1977-78), World Championship of Cricket Winning Captain (1985)
Virat Kohli summed up Tendulkar’s contribution aptly after the 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, “Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years.” Probably the greatest batter since Donald Bradman, Tendulkar was the soul of Indian cricket for two decades. Oh and his 154 ODI wickets largely go unnoticed in a career of stellar batting performances, but could have made a career as a successful leg spinner as well.
Matches Played: 664
Runs: 34357, Wickets: 201
Player of Match Awards: 76
Player of Series Awards: 19
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained India? ✅
100 Tests? ✅✅
Notable Achievements: Highest Scorer in the 1996, 2003, 2011 WCs, 51 Test 100s, 49 ODI 100s (Hundred Hundreds), First Player to Breach the 200-run mark in ODI cricket, 493 runs vs Australia (2007-08), 446 runs vs Australia (1997-98)
Once upon a time, a father observed his three sons arguing. So just like any dad, he decided to teach them a lesson.
He gave each of his kids a bundle of sticks and asked them to break it.
The first son went in with confidence, but fell short of breaking it. The second kid tried really hard as well, but couldn’t break through. The third son also ended up with the same result.
Then, the father separated the bundle, and asked his sons to repeat the task. To their surprise, each of them was able to break all the sticks this time around, one by one.
What did they learn? Unity is Strength. By keeping the sticks together, the whole became stronger.
Much like this tale, India’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign was marked by unity. There was no one performer or one star this time around.
Virat Kohli, the golden boy of Indian cricket for over a decade, could not make a run for his life. India found a new match winner in every game—Bumrah, Arshdeep, Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya, Rohit, and Axar all produced player of the match performances while Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube played handy cameos throughout the World Cup.
In the final, Kohli steadied the ship with a 76, Axar’s 47 marked India’s recovery, and Dube’s 27 (16) provided the finishing spark that was much needed. In the second innings, Bumrah started with one of the balls of the tournament to dismiss Reeza Hendricks and Arshdeep took out Markram.
What followed was a brilliant counterattack from South Africa through Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, and Heinrich Klaasen, who unleashed one of the most memorable innings in a World Cup final.
But then, South African ran into the bundle of sticks.
Rishabh Pant helped India get an injury break and disrupted South Africa’s momentum. Pandya then dismissed Klaasen with a clever wide delivery, Bumrah gave nothing away and went through Jansen’s gates. Following up, Arshdeep bowled a cracker of a 19th over and stifled Maharaj, Hardik kept it tight in the 20th, and SKY, who had a middling tournament by his standards, came through with one of those acrobatic catches when it mattered the most.
Even if one of those pieces in the last 28 balls had not come together, India would have lost. But together, they proved to be too strong to break.
Ludwig van Beethoven, perhaps the most recognized composer of them all, left his best for last.
Beethoven’s wrote his Ninth Symphony when he was almost completely deaf. The fourth moment, Ode to Joy, is often regarded as one of the greatest pieces of classical music of all-time. Composer Tan Dun states that
“Everybody loved Beethoven. The enemy loved Beethoven. The friends loved Beethoven. The dictatorship loved Beethoven. But also, the gentle, the people, the kids, the mothers, the women loved Beethoven.”
Rahul Dravid, one of the greatest cricketers of all-time, left his best for last as well. Although Dravid is not going deaf, his hairs have definitely grayed. The WTC Final and 2023 ODI World Cup Final losses would have been hurting deep into his heart.
Everybody loves Rahul Dravid, friends and foes alike. Dravid is one of the most loved and respected cricketers out there (and was also named India’s most sexiest man in 2005, fun fact). He has accomplished everything..well almost everything except for a World Cup. He had won a World Cup with the U-19 team earlier team, but this was different. This was personal.
In 2007, India crashed out of the group stage under Dravid’s captaincy in the Caribbean. History must have been weighing on him. The weight of the nation must have been weighing on him.
17 years later, Dravid came back to the Caribbean yet again with the quest of a World Cup. At last, Dravid orchestrated his most famous symphony.
“Something needs to change. Otherwise all that will be left is broken dreams.”
After the semi-finals loss against England, Rohit Sharma insisted on a change of approach, which was apparent in the dream 2023 ODI World Cup run at home (until the final). By the time we got to June 2024, the change was complete.
Both Rohit and Virat had transformed their playing styles. Rohit Sharma’s 92 against Australia will be talked about for years to come.
What about Virat Kohli? If South Africa had won the final, Kohli’s final knock may have been criticized. In hindsight, it was exactly the knock India needed from its talisman. The 2014 semi-final knock vs South Africa, the 82* at Mohali, the 82* in Adelaide and those sixes against Haris Rauf. People will always remember those, but they will now also remember how Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma helped India win a World Cup.
Their leadership and legacy is now etched in history with this World Cup dream. Broken Dreams no more.
Jasprit Bumrah was the section leader for India’s bowlers.
He delivered with several solo performances, but also guided the rest of the bowlers along with him.
When there is a Bumrah, there is always a way. How does he keep doing it? Regardless of the format, pitch conditions, opposition, he delivers day in and day out. Player of the tournament for a reason. We are seeing the development of one of the greats in front our eyes.
India should appreciate, cherish, and keep Bumrah in cotton wool for as long as possible.
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”
– Deiter F. Uchtdorf, German aviator and religious leader
This quote embodies Hardik Pandya. He is always in the news for one reason or the other, but this season has been really tough for him.
Hardik Pandya was booed all throughout IPL 2024 after he became Mumbai Indians’ captain. MI did not qualify for the playoffs and to make matters worse, he was in abysmal form himself. There were calls to not select him in the World Cup squad.
And the way he reacted to this adversity and came back is a story to behold. He kept his cool in the press conferences in the IPL and let his performances do the talking in the World Cup. He struck first against Pakistan, had a couple of great all-round shows, and capped it off with Klaasen-Miller’s wickets in the final.
Pastor T.D. Jakes once said, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.”
Rishabh Pant has endured the unimaginable over the last couple of years. The fact that he survived is a big deal on its own. To have the motivation and drive to play cricket again and that also at the highest level, is spectacular.
And then to make a comeback in the IPL and later in international cricket is out of the world. His scores of 36*, 42, 18, 20, 36, 15 might not blow the opposition out, but it is exactly what was needed by the #3. Kept the momentum going.
And boy, he was quite active behind the stumps! Not to forget the Gulbadin moment in the final.
Axar Patel was the missing ingredient India did not realize they had.
Over the last few ICC events, India have carried both Jadeja & Pandya in the XI, but somehow were always missing a bowling option or batting depth that ended up haunting them. Recall batting collapses in 2017 Champions Trophy Final & 2019 ODI SF or lack of bowling options in the 2016 T20 WC SF or 2023 ODI WC Final.
With Axar, Rohit could rotate the bowling around, add Kuldeep or Siraj based on conditions, and switch up the batting line up. The Grade Cricketer podcast sums Axar’s impact really well.
“The versatility is unrivaled….What..What a cricketer. He can bat 5 and make 47 in a World Cup final and also spin teams out in Test matches. I don’t know who else can do that!”
You can’t help but feel happy for Kuldeep Yadav. After all that he went through from 2020-22, Kuldeep is back with a bang!
He did not play the first few matches in fast bowling friendly USA, but the difference in the Caribbean with figures of 2/32, 3/19, 2/24, 3/19 before the 0/45 in the final. With Bumrah and Kuldeep in your XI, opposition just has 12 overs to hit.
His selection in the squad was courageous. His selection in the XI was courageous. Even though he started with scores of 14 (16), 0*(2), and 3 (9), he was persisted with. That was courageous.
And just like the lion in Oz, he lifted himself up when it mattered the most. Staying till the end of the chase with 31*(35) when India were struggling against USA, 34 (24) vs Bangladesh, 28 (22) vs Australia, and saving his best for last—27 (16).
For a known spin basher, he started off with a six against Marco Jansen in the final. Courage.
From 108/4 in 14 overs, India scored 68 in the final 6, and the rest, as we say, is history.
In this WC, Jadeja did not bat much, bowl much, and did not even inflict a direct hit. But the fact that he was there made all the difference.
Rohit Sharma was able to rotate the bowlers, keep flexibility in the batting order, and kept the opposition at bay with the thought that India still has a #8 with three first class triple centuries, a luxury South Africa did not have. Also announced his retirement along with Rohit & Kohli.
Ended with figures of 3-0-13-1, 4-0-19-0, and 4-0-25-0. Pretty solid returns.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Although Chahal is India’s highest wicket taker in T20Is, he is yet to play a T20 World Cup match. But does that really matter anymore?
Sanju Samson
The victory you know. The luck factor, you don’t. In all seriousness, if you have someone with the skill of Sanju Samson on the bench, you must have an absolutely amazing team.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal’s time will come. He will carry the torch of Indian cricket for the next generation along with Shubman Gill and a few others.
Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan
Although the reserve players did not get a chance in the final 15, they traveled with the squad throughout the tournament and attended several matches. Not once, did they show their disappointment. When India were happy, they were happy.
God’s Plan.
Support Staff, Physios, Selectors
Ajit Agarkar and co have been criticized for picking the seniors and dropping Rinku Singh. At the end, it all worked out, didn’t it?
Also we cannot forget the contributions of the physios, data analysts, support staff, and several hundred others who played a role in the background. India’s victory could not have been possible without them.
Final Thought, Thank You Team India
In an orchestra, everyone from the first chair to the last stand must be focused and switched on at all times. The bows need to go in the same direction, the entrances need to be spot on, the solos need to be spectacular, the tempo should be consistent, and the instruments need to be in tune. Finally, the director needs to ensure all the sections—the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion are all on the same page.
And when everything comes together, it is just so beautiful.
Thank you to India’s bowlers, batters, fielders, coaches, support staff, and the fans. They joined together and delivered when it mattered the most.
And the celebration was felt around the world. Robin Uthappa, R Ashwin, Rayudu, Ishant Sharma were visibly emotional on camera. So many cricketers before them have helped India grow and many such cricketers will continue to move Indian cricket forward.
Here is a quick preview: India is going with experience to help them go all the way in this upcoming World Cup.
Let’s dive right in.
Key Takeaways from India World Cup 2023 ODI Squad
The average age of India Asia Cup 2023 squad is 32.7. India is going with a squad that has lots of experience but there are a couple of new faces as well. They have youngsters like Shubman Gill (24), and Ishan Kishan (25), On the other end of the spectrum, we havestalwarts like Ravichandran Ashwin (37), Virat Kohli (34) and Rohit Sharma (36).
The 15-member India’s World Cup squad has average ODI match experience of 97 ODIs (1449 ODIs among 15 players). Virat Kohli (281), Rohit Sharma (251) & Ravindra Jadeja (186) are their most experienced players.
India’s squad composition is as follows: 7 proper batters (0 part time bowlers), 4 all-rounders, and 4 proper bowling options. In total, India has 8 bowling options (1 off spin, 1 left arm spin, 1 left arm wrist spin, and 5 right arm pace) in their squad if absolutely needed. India do not have a leg-spinner or left arm pace bowler.
India has 2 left-handed batting options (Kishan) and two wicketkeeping options.
Axar Patel has been ruled out due to quadriceps strains.
KL Rahul has been nursing a back injury since IPL 2023. Shreyas Iyer has been out since the beginning of the year due to a thigh injury. They both returned to the fold.
Jasprit Bumrah is returning after a back injury. Prasidh Krishna is returning from a back injury as well. They have both returned, but Krishna did not make it to the final squad.
10 India Players Who Were Unlucky to Miss Out
Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi
Usually with India’s squads, you have a feeling of how the campaign is going to go.
This time, I cannot really say. With an overkill of cricket, ODIs have been squeezed out of the ODI calendar.
Add to that, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna are just coming out of injury, Tilak Verma has not played a single ODI, and Shami hasn’t played for a while. At the same time, there is discussion about who didnt’t make the squad, Yuzvendra Chahal & one of the off-spin options.
This is still a great squad, with a mix of youth & experience. My only concern is the lack of match time, recurring injuries, and relative instability.
But with home advantage, you never know. Can India repeat the magic of 2011? Have your say in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions – India World Cup 2023 Squad
What is the average age of India’s 2023 Cricket World Cup squad?
The average age of India Asia Cup 2023 squad is 32.7. India is going with a squad that has lots of experience but there are a couple of new faces as well. They have youngsters like Shubman Gill (24), and Ishan Kishan (25), On the other end of the spectrum, we havestalwarts like Virat Kohli (34) and Rohit Sharma (36).
Who is selected for India’s 2023 Cricket World Cup and India Asia Cup 2023 squad?
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (WK), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, and Suryakumar Yadav made it in India’s 2023 Cricket World Cup squad.
Can India win the 2023 ODI World Cup?
Yes, India can win the 2023 ODI World Cup if they make full use of home conditions and home injuries do not occur anymore.
Will Bumrah play the 2023 ODI World Cup?
Yes, it seems that Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from his injury and will play in the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup. Bumrah has been selected for the 2023 Asia Cup squad.
India and Pakistan have gone head-to-head 7 times in the ODI Cricket World Cup (Men’s). India has won all 7 out of 7 (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019).
Sachin Tendulkar (313), Virat Kohli (193), Saeed Anwar (185), Rohit Sharma (155), and Misbah-ul-Haq (132) are the highest scores in Ind-Pak ODI WC matches. On the other hand, Venkatesh Prasad (8), Javagal Srinath (7), Wahab Riaz (7), Anil Kumble (5), and Mushtaq Ahmed (5) have taken the most wickets in these contests.
The highest score in Indo-Pak matches is Rohit Sharma’s 140, followed by Virat Kohli’s 107, Saeed Anwar’s 101, and Sachin Tendulkar’s 98. On the bowling side, Venkatesh Prasad’s 5/27, Wahab Riaz’a 5/46, Sohail Khan’s 5/55, and Mohammad Shami’s 4/35 are the best figures.
In each of the seven occasions, the team that won the toss chose to bowl first and six times, it was won by the team batting first. Only in 2003, did a team win chasing.
Sachin Tendulkar has won the player of the match award in India-Pakistan World Cup matches thrice, while Navjot Sidhu, Venkatesh Prasad, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma and have each won the award once.
Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney, Australia
Toss:, India won the toss and chose to bowl first
The Story & Memorable Moments
This match will forever be remembered for Javed Miandad’s jumping imitation of Kiran More. Other than that, it was a slow-moving affair. Young Tendulkar’s match-winning fifty and Kapil Dev’s finishing prowess did the job for India despite Mushtaq Ahmed’s double wicket over. Pakistan responded with a slow but steady 88-run partnership between Miandad & Sohail but would collapse from 105/2 to 173 all out.
This game provided us with one of the most iconic India-Pakistan memories: Venkatesh Prasad vs Aamer Sohail.Chasing 289 in the World Cup quarterfinals on the back of Sidhu’s brilliance and steady contribution from the rest of India’s Top 6, the match hung in balance after Pakistan had 84 runs on the board after just 10 overs. After Saeed Anwar departed, Sohail was still looking aggressive.
Sohail vs Prasad ball 1 – hit through the covers and Sohail pointed to Prasad where the ball went. The next ball, CLEAN BOWLED! This is what India-Pakistan games are for. Memories we will cherish forever.
Yet another Venkatesh Prasad special. Dravid, Azharuddin, and Tendulkar each played decent knocks, and Srinath-Prasad’s eight wickets together sealed the victory in a low-scoring contest.
Toss: Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first
The Story & Memorable Moments
If I had to pick one shot from an India-Pakistan World Cup match, it is Sachin Tendulkar’s epic upper cut against Shoaib Akhtar for a six! This time, Pakistan put int one heck of a battle. Saeed Anwar led the charge with a century, but India chased 275 with 4 overs to spare thanks to Tendulkar’s tremendous knock. Yuvraj Singh & Rahul Dravid did the rest and took India home with a steady 99-run partnership.
Virat Kohli’s love affair with Adelaide & Australia continued. Kohli’s century as well as India’s crunch ICC players – Dhawan & Raina came to the party with quick 70s. Sohail Khan starred with the ball for Pakistan with 5 wickets, but no one apart from Misbah stood up with the bat as India won by a mammoth 76 runs. It was also the beginning of the brief but brilliant bowling partnership between Umesh-Mohit Sharma, and Mohammad Shami.
Toss: Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first
The Story & Memorable Moments
We can safely say that this was one of the more one-sided India-Pakistan matches. When Kuldeep Yadav bowled one of the balls of the tournament to dismiss Babar Azam for 48, it was all but over in the 24th over.Earlier, India had bludgeoned 336 runs with the help of Rohit Sharma’s magnificent 140, Kohli’s 77, and KL Rahul’s 57. Although Amir took 3 wickets, it just wasn’t the same as the 2016 T20 Asia Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy battle. Oh yeah, and all the rain delays took away from the drama as well.
Who has Scored the Most Runs in India Pakistan ODI World Cup Matches? Top 10 Run Scorers in Ind-Pak CWC Matches
Player
Country
Matches
Runs
Best
100s/50s
Average/Strike Rate
Sachin Tendulkar
India
5
313
98
0/3
78.25/83.24
Virat Kohli
India
3
193
107
1/1
64.33/91.03
Saeed Anwar
Pakistan
3
185
101
1/0
61.66/91.58
Rohit Sharma
India
2
155
140
1/0
77.50/116.54
Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakistan
2
132
76
0/2
66.00/82.50
Mohammad Azharuddin
India
2
118
59
0/1
39.33/80.27
Aamer Sohail
Pakistan
2
117
62
0/2
58.50/82.97
Suresh Raina
India
2
110
74
0/1
110.00/115.78
Rahul Dravid
India
2
105
61
0/1
105.00/63.63
Ajay Jadeja
India
3
97
46
0/0
32.33/83.62
Who has Taken the Most Wickets in India Pakistan ODI World Cup Matches? Top 10 Wicket-Takers in Ind-Pak CWC Matches
Player
Country
Matches
Wickets
Best
4-fer/5-fer
Average/Economy
Venkatesh Prasad
India
2
8
5/27
0/1
9.00/3.69
Javagal Srinath
India
4
7
3/37
0/0
25.14/5.00
Wahab Riaz
Pakistan
3
7
5/46
0/1
23.71/5.53
Anil Kumble
India
3
5
3/48
0/0
28.40/4.73
Mushtaq Ahmed
Pakistan
2
5
3/59
0/0
23.00/5.75
Sohail Khan
Pakistan
1
5
5/55
0/1
11.00/5.50
Zaheer Khan
India
2
4
2/46
0/0
26.00/5.24
Mohammad Shami
India
1
4
4/35
1/0
8.75/3.88
Ashish Nehra
India
2
4
2/33
0/0
26.75/5.35
Waqar Younis
Pakistan
2
4
2/67
0/0
34.50/7.39
Ind vs Pak 2023 World Cup Match
When is Ind vs Pak 2023 World Cup Match?
India vs Pakistan will be held on Saturday, 14 October, 2023 at 2 PM local time. Mark your calendars.
Where will be the 2023 World Cup Ind vs Pak match be held?
The Ind-Pak 2023 WC match will be held in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest. India-Pakistan WC matches have rarely been competitive. There have been moments of enertainment – think Venkatesh Prasad-Sohail, Tendulkar vs Shoaib, Kohli & Rohit’s hundreds, and Wahab Riaz’s 5-fer.
The new generation of Pakistan cricket promises to make this a more even contest – Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rizwan, Shadab, Rauf, and more. For India, this may be the final chance for the likes of Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli.
Whatever happens, whatever the result, I hope the game is played in great spirit, the crowd has a good & safe time, and we get to see a competitive, edge-of-the-seat contest.
That’s all from me. What do you think? Type your prediction below – who do you think will win this upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup match, Pakistan or India?
Pakistan vs India World Cup – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When is India vs Pakistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup?
India vs Pakistan will be held on Saturday, 14 October, 2023 at 2 PM local time
Who has scored the most runs in India-Pakistan World Cup matches?
Sachin Tendulkar (313), Virat Kohli (193), Rohit Sharma (185), Rohit Sharma (155), and Misbah-ul-Haq (132) are the highest scores in Ind-Pak ODI WC matches. On the other hand, Venkatesh Prasad (8), Javagal Srinath (7), Wahab Riaz (7), Anil Kumble (5), and Mushtaq Ahmed (5) have taken the most wickets in these contests.
Who has taken the most wickets in India-Pakistan World Cup matches?
Can you name the batter with the most runs in Cricket World Cups?
It’s that time—The 2023 ODI World Cup is upon us!
So, let’s dive right in and explore the most prolific batters in men’s ODI Cricket World Cups (CWC). From Ross Taylor to Sachin Tendulkar, here are the most iconic batters to have played in the World Cup.
Table of Contents – Most Runs in Cricket World Cups
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs in Cricket World Cups (Men’s ODI) with 2278 runs, 535 runs ahead of the next best, Ricky Ponting. Ponting (1743), Kumar Sangakkara (1532), Brian Lara (1225), and AB De Villiers (1207) are the others in the Top 5 list of the highest run scorers in ODI World Cups.
21 cricketers have scored over 1,000 runs in ODI World Cups. Sri Lanka (5) features the most in this list followed by India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa (3), New Zealand (2), and Bangladesh & Pakistan (1).
Although most players have played over 30 ODIs, AB De Villiers is a class apart with 1207 runs in just 22 innings. He also boasts an average of 63.2 and a strike rate of 117.29.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored six hundreds in ODI Cricket World Cups followed by Ricky Ponting & Kumar Sangakkara with five each.
Shakib Al Hasan (#9), Virat Kohli (#17), Martin Guptill (#22), David Warner (#23), Rohit Sharma (#25), and Kane Williamson (#30) are the only active ODI players still playing international cricket.
ODI Cricket World Cup Batting Records: Top 21 List of Most Runs in Cricket World Cup (CWC)
1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 2278 Runs
Matches/Innings: 45/44
Best: 152
Average: 56.95
Strike Rate: 88.98
100/50: 6/15
ODI World Cups Played: 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
Honorable Mentions: Martin Guptill* (995), David Warner* (992), Matthew Hayden (987), Rohit Sharma* (978), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (970), Arjuna Ranatunga (969), Faf du Plessis (926), Saeed Anwar (915), Kane Williamson* (911)
Final Thoughts on the Most Prolific Run Scorers in ODI World Cup History
Ah, the joys of ODI Cricket World Cup!
Every four years, the cricketing world descends into a frenzy of excitement and anticipation.
Which batsman will light up the 2023 ODI World Cup? Can Shakib Al Hasan & Virat Kohli rise to the Top 5? Comment below, we would love to know your thoughts!
Most Runs in Cricket World Cup – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who has scored the most runs in World Cup cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs in Cricket World Cups (Men’s ODI) with 2278 runs, 535 runs ahead of the next best, Ricky Ponting. Ponting (1743), Kumar Sangakkara (1532), Brian Lara (1225), and AB De Villiers (1207) are the others in the Top 5 list of the highest run scorers in ODI World Cups.
2. Which country has scored the most runs in world cup cricket?
21 cricketers have scored over 1,000 runs in ODI World Cups. Sri Lanka (5) features the most in this list followed by India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa (3), New Zealand (2), and Bangladesh (1).
3. Who has scored the most runs for India in ODI World Cups?
Sachin Tendulkar (2278), Virat Kohli (1030), and Sourav Ganguly (1006) have scored the most runs for India in ODI cricket world cups.
Who has the most man of the match awards in international cricket? Which countries have consistently produced the most match-winners?
Here is everything you need to know about the player of the match awards in cricket history.
Key Takeaways
Sachin Tendulkar (76), Virat Kohli (63), Sanath Jayasuriya (58), Jacques Kallis (57), and Kumar Sangakkara (50) have the most man of the match awards in international cricket across formats.
Jacques Kallis (23), Muttiah Muralitharan (19), Wasim Akram & Shane Warne (17), Ricky Ponting & Kumar Sangakkara (16) have the most man of the match awards in Test cricket. Tendulkar (62), Jayasuriya (48), Kohli (38), and Kallis, Ponting, Afridi (32) have the most MOM awards in ODI cricket. Finally, Virat Kohli (15), Rohit Sharma (12), and Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, David Warner (11) have the most MOM awards in T20I cricket.
India & Sri Lanka top this list with 6 match-winners each, while Pakistan (5), Australia & West Indies, (4), South Africa (3), Bangladesh & New Zealand (1) complete it. Surprisingly, England have zero players in this list.
21 batters, eight all-rounders, and only one pure bowler (Muralitharan) make up the list of the top 30 most man of the match awards in international cricket. Three wicketkeeper-batters (Sangakkara, AB De Villiers, and Adam Gilchrist) also feature in the list.
Viv Richards (13.3%) and Virat Kohli (12.6%) have the highest percentage of player of the match awards per game.
When we talk about cricket and the greatest match winner in international cricket, there’s one name that stands out – Sachin Tendulkar. He is a legend, and he’s received the awards to prove it. He holds the record for the most Man of the Match awards in international cricket. Talk about being a match-winner!
But let’s not forget about other greats like Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, and Sanath Jayasuriya. These guys have also shown time and time again that they can step up and deliver when it matters most. They’ve racked up their fair share of Man of the Match awards. There are several others that do not make the list but are great match-winners in their own right – MS Dhoni, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rashid Khan, Shane Watson, Dale Steyn, Jimmy Anderson, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Kane Williamson, etc.
So, there you have it.
These cricketers have left a long-lasting mark on the game, and fans will never forget their contributions. They truly embody what cricket is all about – talent, spirit, and the will to win. And that’s why we love this game, right?
Frequently Asked Questions – Most Man of the Match Awards in International Cricket
Who has won the most man of the match awards in international cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar (76), Virat Kohli (63), Sanath Jayasuriya (58), Jacques Kallis (57), and Kumar Sangakkara (50) have the most man of the match awards in international cricket across formats.
Who has won the most player of the match awards in Test cricket?
Jacques Kallis (23), Muttiah Muralitharan (19), Wasim Akram & Shane Warne (17), Ricky Ponting & Kumar Sangakkara (16) have the most player of the match awards in Test cricket.
Who has won the most player of the match awards in ODI cricket?
Tendulkar (62), Jayasuriya (48), Kohli (38), and Kallis, Ponting, Afridi (32) have won the most player of the match awards in ODI cricket.
Who has won the most player of the match awards in T20I cricket?
Virat Kohli (15), Rohit Sharma (12), and Shahid Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan, David Warner (11) have the most player of the match awards in T20I cricket.
