Team India’s campaign at the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 in England didn’t end on a happy note as Virat Kohli’s forces had an impressive run-up to the semifinal but they fell agonisingly short of the finish line, losing to New Zealand by 18 runs.
Rohit Sharma had a stellar campaign as he scored five centuries en route to the semifinal, although on that particular day against the Kiwis, nothing clicked for the Men in Blue. Since then, a lot has changed for Team India, Rohit has taken over as the permanent skipper in all formats, but the one thing that didn’t change is India’s dominance in white-ball cricket.
The Men in Blue have been impressively consistent in the limited-overs formats and barring last year’s disappointing finish at the T20I World Cup, they have managed to reach the semifinals in every major ICC tournament since 2011 ODI World Cup.
When the T20I World 2022 begins in November, Rohit’s side will be one of the contenders but to lift the title, they will want their batsmen to fire on all cylinders. Indeed, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit and KL Rahul – widely considered India’s top batsmen – have been marred by form and fitness issues in 2022.
Despite this, do you know, that they all feature in the list of top 5 batsmen with the most runs scored across formats since the 2019 World Cup? Read on to know more.
#5 Shreyas Iyer
Despite the fact that Shreyas Iyer continues to fight for his place in the T20I and Test squad, he has been among the most consistent run scorers for India across all formats. Iyer has amassed a total of 2174 runs since the 2019 ODI World Cup.
He had cemented his place as a reliable middle-order batsman earlier, but the emergence of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda could yet see him fight for his place in the T20I side, ahead of the ICCT 20 World Cup later this year.
The 27-year-old gave a good account of himself in the ODI series against West Indies, and he will have ample opportunities to confirm his berth in the T20I team if Iyer can negate the trouble he’s facing playing short-balls.
#4 KL Rahul
KL Rahul has barely played for Team India due to injuries and Covid in 2022
The year 2022 has been a mixed bag for KL Rahul so far. He was made Team India’s vice-captain earlier this year, and finished the IPL 2022, as the second-highest run-scorer with 616 runs for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) including two centuries and four half-centuries.
However, the Karnataka batsman hasn’t featured in a single T20I match for the Men in Blue this year, and he has played just 4 innings each in Test and ODIs in 2022 because of injury woes and Covid.
The Indian management will be hoping that Rahul returns to full fitness as soon as possible because having barely featured in 2022, the 29-year-old still ranks fourth on the list of Indian batsmen with the most runs scored across formats since the 2019 World Cup with a tally of 2524 runs.
#3 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant’s stature in the Indian team has grown in leaps and bounds since the 2019 ODI World Cup, having taken over from MS Dhoni behind the stumps. As a batsman too, he has played some of the most memorable knocks of his career in the past three years.
Pant has racked up a total of 2641 runs across all formats since the last ODI World Cup, and despite being just 24 years old, he is already being mentioned among the probables for taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.
He was the architect behind India’s famous victory in the Gabba Test and he nearly pulled off another memorable victory against England in Edgbaston recently.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma scored a record five centuries during the ICC ODI World Cup 2019
Team India’s captain Rohit Sharma has elevated his game to a whole new level since the 2019 World Cup. He scored five centuries during the spectacle and has only gotten better and better since then.
The 35-year-old has scored 3,382 runs across all formats since India’s semifinal exit at the hands of New Zealand. He had a slump of sorts during the IPL 2022 campaign with Mumbai Indians (MI) but since then he rediscovered his golden touch and has played some good knocks against England and West Indies.
The ‘Hitman’ will be leading Team India during the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup 2022 and if he performs as he did back in the 2019 ODI World Cup, few teams will be able to stop the Men in Blue.
#1 Virat Kohli
Despite not having scored a single century since November 2019, Virat Kohli still has been the most prolific run-scorer for India since the last ODI World Cup, across all formats.
The former Indian captain has scored 3,564 runs in that period, proving that you don’t need to score centuries as a testament to your talents. Kohli has seen a dip in his form in 2022, as he struggled in the IPL 2022 campaign, and hasn’t been able to live up to his own lofty standards so far this year.
While the talismanic batsman is currently on a temporary break from cricket, Team India fans will be hoping to see the 33-year-old firing on all cylinders when he returns to the side for the 2022 Asia Cup.
