The role of leadership or captaincy is going to be decisive in terms of how far a team will go in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Well, it is said that a team is in most harmony in which every player is his own captain.
However, the role demands more than that, bringing team in a amiable atmosphere and backing your players is one side of captaincy, making bold decisions and strategic planning is another side of it.
Be it as it may, the role of captaincy has been undervalued but it is going to play hell of a role in upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Let’s take a look to best captains who can win the World Cup and what’s so special about their character.
Rohit Sharma, India
Rohit Sharma has evolved as a captain. Talking about experience, he had plenty of it through IPL but his captaincy in international matches is no short of remarkable series and tournament wins. Well, his captaincy record speaks for itself. A lively and fun loving captain who knows how to find a winning combination.
Rohit is a bold captain who likes to think ahead of the opposition. Gives a lot of freedom to his bowlers to operate confidently and the results are there. New to the captaincy circuit but has plethora of experience. Playing in home conditions, Rohit will have significant advantage over other captains.
Good thing for Rohit Sharma is, there are other captains around him. Virat Kohli has captained India in significant number of matches, KL has has captained India, and Hardik Pandya, too, brings his own captaincy skills. All this makes Rohit’s job easier and there is high probability that India can claim ODI World Cup 2023 under his captaincy.
Jos Buttler, England
As a captain of England cricket team, Jos Buttler already has a title under his belt. Buttler is not one for rabble-rousing but has led his team to the T20 World Cup final with rigorous planning and smart intuition. He speaks quietly and lacks the fiery charisma that is evident in his close friend and predecessor as white-ball captain, Eoin Morgan.
One very distinct thing about Buttler’s captaincy is that he likes to be literal with his assessment of the game. However, over the course of the career, it has been observed that he has deep trust in Moeen Ali as his deputy and sometimes we can see ali making key changes on the field.
In total, Buttler’s captaincy is a combination of match-day improvisation and methodical attention to detail in preparation. Buttler is described as softly-spoken and unassuming, with supple hands and a great eye. Definitely, he is up at the top to lead his side to ODI World Cup triumph with having a great experience of playing in India.
Temba Bavuma, South Africa
Probably the most underrated captain in ODIs. To start with, Bavuma is rather reserved captain, there is nothing vivacious about his captaincy but surley, he is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the field. He likes to lead by the example whether it is amazing fielding efforts or setting up batting foundation.
In last 10-12 months, South Africa has won few games out of nowhere position. The credit equally goes to bowlers and batters but equally important was Bavuma’s role in creating an environment of self-belief. A cricket game is full of ebbs and flows and it is the responsibility of captain to find a balanced attitude for the team in both situations.
Bavuma had an unforgiving 2022 T20 World Cup campaign but since that he has evolved. There is no comparison because other captains have more than 100 games under their belt while he has played only 30 matches. His captaincy has definitely united the South African team in a prolific way, he has backed these players to perform and take the bigger stage.
Well some might think where is Australian captain in this list. Last few weeks have been bitter for the Australians. Pat Cummins in ODIs doesn’t seem to have an impressive captaincy regards, the team more relies on individual performances to get the team through.
Read More: India thrash Australia by 99 runs in second ODI at Indore
Babar Azam is more good player than he is a captain. At times, we have seen Babar completely undone by the pressure of captaincy which has affected his batting performance as well.
Talking about New Zealand, Kane Williamson is definitely a masterful captain with a fight till the end spirit. However, there is no assurance that he will play all world cup matches for New Zealand, let alone captaining the side.
