The 2019-21 World Test championship spanned across various bilateral test series, from which India and New Zealand emerged as finalists, and a one-off game between them was played as the final in 2021. We will now have a look at the top run scorers in the tournament.
10. Dean Elgar
Dean Elgar is known to be a gritty batsman, who is adept at staying long in the crease in hostile conditions. He has been a consistent performer as an opener for South Africa, with various partners of him falling in and out of form. During this tournament, he scored two centuries, one of them being away in India, after India posted a huge first innings score. Dean Elgar scored 935 runs in this tournament.
9. David Warner
David Warner, the Australian opener, scored three centuries in this tournament. One of them was his triple century against Pakistan in a day-night test. He was the man of the series, when Australia defeated Pakistan 2-0, in a two-match series. David Warner scored 948 runs in this tournament.
8. Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler played 18 tests for England in this tournament. He scored a century against Pakistan, in the same game Zak Crawley made 267. Buttler was the man of the series, in that series. His performance, despite being unconvincing in overall World Test Championship, had its momentary flashes like the above one. Jos Buttler scored 963 runs in this tournament.
7. Dimuth Karunaratne
Dimuth Karunaratne was one of the best opening batsmen across the world in this tournament. He was also the captain of Sri Lanka in the tournament. Karunaratne missed the 1000-run mark in the tournament by a whisker. He was a consistent performer for Sri Lanka throughout the tournament, and was a reason why Sri Lanka could win the matches that they did. Dimuth Karunaratne scored 999 runs in this tournament.
6. Rohit Sharma
For years, Rohit Sharma was tried in the middle order in test cricket, but they didn’t seem like working. The new experiment of trying Rohit Sharma at the opening slot, started getting successful. The best series of his in the tournament was the home series against South Africa, where, in four innings, he scored three centuries, with one of them being a double- hundred. Rohit Sharma scored 1094 runs in this tournament.
5. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was a constant presence in India’s middle order throughout the tournament. In the first series, when India toured West Indies, he scored 271 runs across two matches, which contained a century and two half-centuries. He also led India in absence of Virat Kohli for the final three matches of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India achieved a famous victory. Ajinkya Rahane scored 1159 runs in this tournament.
4. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes plays a vital role in both batting and bowling departments for the English test team. He provides a balance to the team due to his all-round skills. He scored well in this tournament, and was in a fine run of form across formats, after the 2019 World Cup triumph. He had a clutch knock against Australia in Headingley, where he scored an incredible rescue knock of 135 not out, to reach a thrilling one-wicket victory. Ben Stokes scored 1334 runs in this tournament.
3. Steve Smith
Steve Smith made a comeback to test cricket in the 2019 Ashes after facing a ban due to the sandpaper scandal. The comeback was terrific, he scored 774 runs in that series alone, he had three centuries, one of them being a double, and scored at least 80 runs in six of the seven innings. Steve Smith scored 1341 runs in this tournament.
2. Joe Root
Joe Root was a consistent performer for England throughout the tournament. However, at the start of 2021, he seemed to have hit a brilliant run of form, piling up massive number of runs, scoring centuries upon centuries, which is continuing even now. He scored a 228, 186 and a 228 in three consecutive matches in Asian conditions, with the final one being against India. Joe Root scored 1660 runs in this tournament.
1. Marnus Labuschagne
Before this tournament, Marnus Labuschagne had a disappointing career of 5 matches with the bat. However, after a stint in county cricket, he had a resurgence in his career. He was brought in as Steve Smith’s concussion substitute in the 2019 Ashes, and has been a terrific batsman since then. Marnus Labuschagne scored 1675 runs in this tournament.
