ODI World Cup is the most prestigious trophy in cricket. Most teams that have won the World Cup have a prolific run scorer in the world cup on the back of whose performance, the team travels to the world cup glory. We will now have a look at the top run scorers for India in a World Cup edition.
1. Sachin Tendulkar (2003)
Sachin Tendulkar had injury issues plaguing him and was also having a general slump in form and there were concerns on his performance in the World Cup. However, what followed was an absolute masterclass by Sachin, amassing runs. His record stands, till date, as the highest amount of runs scored by any batsman in a single edition of World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar scored 673 runs in this World Cup.
2. Rohit Sharma (2019)
Rohit Sharma had a terrific tournament. He scored 5 centuries in the World Cup making it the highest number of centuries by a batsman in a World Cup beating Kumar Sangakkara’s record. Rohit Sharma scored 648 runs in this World Cup.
3. Sachin Tendulkar (1996)
Sachin was in a fine run of form in this World Cup, scoring 2 centuries and three half centuries. During the semifinals, India faced Sri Lanka and Sachin managed to score 65, but when he got out, the Indian team collapsed like a pack of cards. Towards the end, the match met an unpleasant fate as the crowd lit a fire in the stadium. India’s exit from the tournament was thereby on an unpleasant note and India could not take much of a positive other than possibly the fact that Sachin ended up being the highest run scorer of the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar scored 523 runs in this World Cup.
4. Sachin Tendulkar (2011)
This was the sixth World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar. Despite being in the final stages of his career, he had a good tournament with 2 hundreds in the group stage and an important 85 in the semifinals. Overall, he was just second in the highest run scorers list in the World Cup behind Tilakaratne Dilshan. Sachin Tendulkar scored 482 runs in this World Cup.
5. Sourav Ganguly (2003)
Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian side in the World Cup. After a dismal showing by the Indian team in the previous World Cup and the fixing scandals that affected the team, Ganguly managed to captain the team till the finals in this World Cup. He eld from the front by scoring three centuries with one of them being in the semifinals. Sourav Ganguly scored 465 runs in this World Cup.
6. Rahul Dravid (1999)
This was in the early stages of Dravid’s international career. He had some issues with strike rate in ODI cricket and was widely considered as a batsman only fit for test cricket. However, come World Cup 1999, he managed to become the top scorer of the World Cup not only among Indians but among every team. The second placed Steve Waugh was a distant 63-run behind. Rahul Dravid scored 461 runs in this World Cup.
7. Virat Kohli (2019)
Virat Kohli was the captain in this World Cup. While Rohit Sharma was racking up centuries in one end, Kohli was piling upon half centuries. Overall, he scored five half centuries and India ended up topping the league stage. Virat Kohli scored 443 runs in this World Cup.
8. Shikhar Dhawan (2015)
Shikhar Dhawan is a man known for his performances in ICC tournaments, mainly ODI ones. He scored two centuries in the tournament, one each against Ireland and South Africa. His form was a key factor in India reaching the semifinals winning seven out of seven matches. Shikhar Dhawan scored 412 runs in this World Cup.
9. Gautam Gambhir (2011)
Gautam Gambhir was known for turning up in big moments and he did so in this World Cup. In the finals against Sri Lanka, he came in early on and soon India was 31-2. From there on, he stitched an important 83-run partnership with Virat Kohli and a 109-run partnership with Dhoni. He scored 97 and was a key reason why India won the match and thereby, the World Cup. Gautam Gambhir scored 393 runs in this World Cup.
10. Virender Sehwag (2011)
Virender Sehwag hit a 175 right in the first match of the tournament against Bangladesh and set up a bright start to India’s campaign. India had a convincing victory in the match and Sehwag also had regular contributions throughout the World Cup. Sehwag smashed five fours in Umar Gul’s over early on in the semifinal, which helped India set the tone in the match and win the match later on. Virender Sehwag scored 380 runs in this World Cup.
