Former India all-rounder and now a commentator Irfan Pathan has snubbed Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill and picked Virat Kohli to emerge as the top run-scorer in the upcoming World Cup 2023 tournament.
This year’s event will be Kohli’s 4th ODI WC and most likely his last in this format. Winner of the 2011 World Cup, Virat Kohli might eye victory in the WC 2023 as his swansong in the 50-over format.
Even though Shubman Gill has been in surreal form this year – Gill is the leading ODI run-scorer in 2023 with 1230 runs at an average of 72 – and Rohit Sharma, too, has been in good touch with 658 runs at an average of 50, for Irfan Pathan, it is none other than Virat Kohli on whom he would bank to top the run charts.
Kohli has batted in only 13 ODI innings this year, scoring 612 runs at an average of 55 with 3 centuries, including a bumper hundred against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 last month.
While making his prediction, Irfan Pathan made it clear that he’s banking on Kohli’s vast experience of ODI cricket, and also of performing under pressure.
“Mere liye top run-getter iss World Cup main – Virat Kohl. Experience,” Pathan said with a smile.
Faf du Plessis picks “big guy” Virat Kohli to rule World Cup 2023
RCB captain and Kohli’s friend Faf du Plessis said that it is “obvious” who he will go with to predict as the World Cup’s top run-scorer. The former South Africa captain explained that since the World Cup is in India, he’s going with Kohli.
“I am gonna take the obvious big guy I can go for – Virat. Because, it’s in India. So I am putting him down for the most runs,” du Plessis said.
A few other former cricketers, though, such as Shane Watson, Mithali Raj, Waqar Younis, and Piyush Chawla went with Shubman Gill for their top run-scorer’s predictions.
The tournament will kick-start on Thursday with England taking on New Zealand. India’s campaign will start on October 8 against Australia in Chennai.
