T20 World Cup 2021: 3 prominent T20 batters playing their first T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup 2021 started on 17th October, with the final on 14th November. The matches are taking place in UAE and Oman. West Indies are the defending champions, having won the title in the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The Super 12 round starts on October 23rd. This weekend has some of the most exciting contests in store for fans. These include India vs Pakistan on Sunday, England vs West Indies, and Australia vs South Africa on Saturday.
In the last five years after the T20 World Cup, the format has evolved a lot. The emergence of new T20 leagues and the rise of existing top T20 leagues have done a world of good for T20 cricket.
On that note, let's have a look at
3 major batters playing their first T20 World Cup
#1 KL Rahul (India)
KL Rahul has established himself as one of the world's best T20 batter in the last five years. In 49 T20 international matches for India, Rahul has scored 1557 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 142. This shows that Rahul is not only consistent, but he can also get those runs at a quick scoring rate.
Rahul has also been one of the best batters in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 3273 runs in 94 games at an average of 47 and strike rate of 136. He also won the Orange Cap in the 2020 edition of the league. However, he has faced a lot of criticism because of his intent in the last couple of seasons.
Virat Kohli has announced that KL will open alongside Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup. It was said that he did not play his natural game in the 2nd leg of the IPL in the UAE. But he showed intent from the first ball in the warm-up games vs England and Australia.
He is expected to play in a similar manner at the T20 World Cup. He also has more freedom as India has a formidable middle-order with the likes of Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan to follow.
#2 Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Babar Azam becomes the fastest batsman to 2000 T20I runs 🔥
He has taken only 52 innings to achieve the feat!
#ZIMvPAK https://t.co/cJT2HkYScg
Babar Azam is one of the best top order batters in the shortest format. He has scored 2204 runs in 61 games at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 131 in T20 international cricket. The T20 World Cup will be his first major international tournament as captain.
Babar's consistency in this format is incredible. He is the highest run-getter in the PSL - 2070 runs in 58 games at an average of 43 and a strike-rate of 122. He is also the quickest to 7000 T20 runs & 2000 T20 international runs by number of innings.
Pakistan have won all 11 games in the UAE when Babar Azam has been a part of the playing XI. He has scored 392 runs at an average of 49 in those games. His form will be crucial if Pakistan are to do well at the T20 World Cup.
#3 Nicholas Pooran (West Indies)
Nicholas Pooran is having a special few weeks!
💥 Finished #IPL2020 with 25 6️⃣s and strike-rate of 169.71
✈️ Took a catch for the ages
🖋️ Signed by Melbourne Stars for #BBL10
🧢 Retained as West Indies T20I vice-captain
How integral is he to the West Indies team? https://t.co/AMfqGQiF9A
Nicholas Pooran is one of the most explosive T20 batters in the world at present. However, in the T20 internationals he hasn't yet performed to his potential. He has scored 635 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 124 in 41 games for West Indies. He's been appointed as their vice-captain at the T20 World Cup.
Pooran has proved his worth in various T20 leagues across the globe. He is fairly experienced in the format, having scored 3735 runs in 201 games at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 144. His ideal role is batting in the middle overs (7-15), as he is one of the best hitters of spin bowling at the moment.
Although Pooran's IPL performances in this season's UAE leg were disappointing, he will be crucial if West Indies are to win their third T20 World Cup.