5 most underrated knocks from 2023 ODI World Cup ft. Rohit Sharma
A determined Australian unit upstaged favorites India to record their sixth ODI World Cup silverware in front of almost 1,00,000 spectators present at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19.
The gut-wrenching defeat not only ended India's unbeaten run in the 2023 World Cup but tarnished their genuine hopes of clinching an ICC title after a decade. Everything was going India's way until the final, where they could only make 240 runs in the first innings.
Travis Head then came up with a resounding knock of his own, where he hammered 137 runs to help Australia claim the World Cup.
The 13th edition of the World Cup, solely hosted by India, saw numerous high-scoring matches where the bat dominated the ball. While several batting performances stole the limelight, some equally remarkable knocks lingered in the shadows.
In this article, we will delve into some underrated batting performances that contributed significantly to the team's success but failed to garner the true praise they deserved.
On that note, here are the five most underrated knocks from the recently concluded 2023 ODI World Cup.
#5 Rahmanullah Gurbaz - 65 off 53 vs Pakistan in Chennai
![Rahmanullah Gurbaz after his fifty vs Pakistan [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/39513-17006530886753-1920.jpg?w=500)
Afghanistan was perhaps the most heartwarming team to watch at the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Asian underdogs played some mature cricket throughout the World Cup and beat the likes of England, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side also thrashed Pakistan, which was the most satisfying win for them, given the heated history between the two nations.
Chasing an above-par score of 283 on a slow Chennai deck, Afghanistan batters showed a great application to hunt down the target in 49 overs. Opener Ibrahim Zadran, who made a solid 87, was adjudged the Player of the Match for holding his wicket for the majority of the innings.
No. 3 batter Rahmat Shah, meanwhile, also played a fantastic knock of 77*. However, credit must also be given to the way Rahmanullah Gurbaz set up the chase with his fiery innings of 65 off 53 balls.
Gurbaz started off the inning with a four on the first ball against Shaheen Afridi, who is known for being a genuine threat, especially against right-handers. Gurbaz, however, negotiated the initial swing by Afridi and Hasan Ali remarkably before going berserk.
He made up for his cautious start and struck fifty in just 38 balls. His nine fours and a six allowed his partner Zadran to take his time and build his innings at his pace.
With the help of nine fours and a solitary six, Gurbaz struck out runs at a rate of 122.64, which is the best among the batters who played more than 30 balls in the match.
#4 Suryakumar Yadav - 49 off 47 vs England in Lucknow
Suryakumar Yadav proved to be one of those rare underperforming players at the 2023 World Cup. Across seven innings, the flamboyant batter scored 106 runs at a poor average of 17.66.
In the match against England, however, Suryakumar scored almost half of those runs when he made 49 runs off 47 runs. On an extremely difficult track in Lucknow, India lost wickets at regular junctures.
Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, played his best knock of the World Cup as he mustered 87 runs to bind the Indian innings. However, he fell short of a well-deserved hundred and was out in the 37th over. In came Suryakumar Yadav, who played one of his most crucial knocks in ODI cricket and took India's total to 229/9.
He played some glorious straight drives and brought out his sweeps against spin bowling. Despite knowing for his better play on fast surfaces, Suryakumar batted phenomenally well on the slow surface in Lucknow and made 49 off 47 balls.
His strike rate of 104.26 proved to be the best in the whole game. Indian bowlers wreaked havoc in the second inning to register a massive 100-run win.
#3 Rohit Sharma - 40 off 24 vs South Africa in Kolkata
![Rohit Sharma during the India v South Africa - ICC World Cup 2023 game [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/52ba6-17006722007112-1920.jpg)
Rohit Sharma played selfless cricket throughout the 2023 World Cup. He came out with a clear mindset of using the fielding restrictions within the powerplay and putting the opposition team under pressure right from the start.
He played several cameos with his incredible hitting for India, including his quick-fire 40 against South Africa at his beloved Eden Gardens. After opting to bat first, Rohit made sure to give his side a fantastic start.
Knowing the fact that the surface in Kolkata will get slower in the middle overs, Rohit took the charge right from the word go and attacked the Protea pacers.
He played some authoritative strokes and took apart Lungi Ngidi in his opening spell. With just two men outside the 30-yard circle, Rohit lofted his drives purposefully and hit a total of six fours and two lusty maximums en route to his 26-ball 40.
His rapid start allowed the likes of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer to tackle the spin-bowling cautiously as the surface offered quite a lot to the slower bowlers. While Kohli went on to score his 49th ODI hundred on his birthday, no one should forget Rohit's contribution up front.
India scored 326/5 in their 50 overs before bundling out South Africa for a paltry 83 in 27.1 overs.
#2 Pat Cummins - 12* off 68 vs Afghanistan in Mumbai
Australia's batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell inspired his team to a historic come-from-behind victory over Afghanistan with a breathtaking 201* off 128 balls.
As Maxwell's incredible performance stole the show, Australian captain Pat Cummins provided the ideal counterbalance by dodging balls and refusing to give up his wicket.
Chasing 292 at the Wankhede Stadium against a high-flying Afgan unit, Australia had their back against the wall as they were reduced to 91/7 just inside 19 overs. Then came Maxwell and Cummins, who were involved in a stupendous, unbeaten partnership of 202 runs.
While Maxwell single-handedly brought the roof down and destroyed everything that came in his arc, Cummins played a perfect foil and put on a perfect defensive show.
His role was to defend his wicket and frustrate the Afghan bowlers with his watchful batting. Cummins' judgment against the likes of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi was quite extraordinary for a No. 9 batter.
Cummins finished not out on 12 off 68 balls, contributing six percent of the runs in the match-winning stand. Maxwell finished the game off with a six-over deep mid-wicket, which also brought up the first-ever ODI double hundred in a chase.
#1 Marnus Labuschagne - 58* off 110 vs India in Ahmedabad (2023 World Cup Final)
![Marnus Labuschagne during the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 Final vs India [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/b4f2d-17006740478843-1920.jpg)
Even though Travis Head was the star of the World Cup final against India, Marnus Labuschagne's cool-headed innings of 58 not out off 110 balls stood out as one of the highlights of Australia's sixth World Cup triumph.
Labuschagne walked out in the middle after India were rampant and reduced Australia to 47/3 inside the powerplay. He even received a hard time from Virat Kohli, who was in his ears to welcome him at the crease.
Fortunately for Australia, Labuschagne didn't get bogged down or overawed by the situation and played in a composed manner. With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami bowling their hearts out, Labuschagne showed the right application and played every ball on its merit.
He made sure Australia didn't endure another hiccup and slowly stitched together a match-changing partnership with Head. Labuschagne's composure allowed the southpaw to go all guns blazing against the Indians, who had no respite.
While India desperately needed a wicket, both Labuschagne and Head frustrated the bowlers. Labuschagne even played the Indian spinners quite phenomenally and milked them for singles easily. The two engineered a partnership of 192 runs, which led Australia to an unforgettable win.
With the help of just four boundaries during the 110 balls he played, Labuschagne remained unbeaten at 58, which proved to be perhaps the most crucial half-century of the entire 2023 World Cup.