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They might be giants: Unique glimpses of India’s 2023 World Cup dream team
Renowned portrait artist Rohit Chawla captures different shades of the India squad, before the final leg of their World Cup odyssey.
They’re powerful, marauding, hungry, diverse, and they are all peaking at the same time. On a 10-match winning streak, they stand at the cusp of history. Renowned portrait artist Rohit Chawla captures different shades of the India squad, before the final leg of their 2023 World Cup odyssey.
Rohit Sharma, 36, Captain
The boy from Borivali, Mumbai, made his international debut at 20 but success came six years later, when he was tasked to open the batting. Rohit has 31 ODI tons, next only to Virat Kohli (50) and Sachin Tendulkar (49). Having set the World Cup alight with his strokeplay, Rohit will aim for a final flourish in Ahmedabad.
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Virat Kohli, 35, Batter
His journey from West Delhi to leading India is a case study in sheer hard work. Stories abound of his grit when he turned up for a Ranji game a day after his father’s death. A U-19 (2008) and ODI World Cup (2011) winner, Kohli has owned this edition with a slew of batting records.
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Shubman Gill, 24, Batter
Marked out as a generational talent right from his U-19 days in Fazilka (Punjab), Gill is as pleasing on the eye a batter as they come. Blessed with timing and temperament, the World No 1 batter is also the world’s leading ODI scorer this year. A U-19 World Cup winner (2018), Gill stands out for his no-frills yet effective batting.
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Mohammed Shami, 33, Fast bowler
The seam bowler from UP’s Amroha is in the midst of a fairytale run. A product of Bengal cricket, Shami’s ability to present an upright seam and move the ball both ways has got him 23 wickets, the highest in this World Cup. Shami has already bagged three five-wicket hauls in the six matches he has played.
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Jasprit Bumrah, 29, Fast bowler
The leader of India’s pace attack is a generational talent. Back on the team after a long injury lay-off, Bumrah has looked more lethal than ever. His unerring accuracy has meant teams have not been able to get off to blazing starts, allowing Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami as well as the spinners to do the rest.
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KL Rahul, 31, Keeper-batter
The Bengaluru boy can walk into the side for his batting alone. The fact that he is a more-than-decent ’keeper allows India to play five bowlers. Equally good against both pace and spin, Rahul is known for his ability to hit clean and long, and switch gears at will.
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Ravindra Jadeja, 34, All-rounder
The all-rounder from Jamnagar wears his identity with pride — through his twirling moustache and sword celebrations — earning the moniker of Sir Jadeja. A dangerous hitter, a gun fielder, and a nightmare for batters if the pitch offers some assistance, Jadeja has made himself indispensable in the Indian XI.
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Shreyas Iyer, 28, Batter
Another batter from Mumbai, Iyer first hogged headlines in 2017 with a dazzling double ton against the Aussies in a tour game. He is going into the World Cup final with consecutive tons to his name, and has solved the No. 4 puzzle for India in style. His quick runs in the middle overs have made a huge difference.
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Mohammed Siraj, 29, Fast bowler
The son of an autorickshaw driver in Hyderabad, Siraj has a never-say-die attitude and an ability to run through batting orders with his wobbled seam deliveries. He forms a potent pace pair with Jasprit Bumrah.
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Suryakumar Yadav, 33, Batter
A Mumbai veteran, SKY had to wait for recognition, which came when he turned up for Mumbai Indians. Yet to crack the ODI code, SKY, with his 360-degree shot-making ability, is the designated finisher on the team. His 49 on a testing Lucknow pitch against England underlined his worth.
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R Ashwin, 37, Spinner
It speaks of India’s boundless riches that a cricketer of Ashwin’s skill and acumen has warmed the bench for most of this World Cup. An innovator par excellence, Ashwin has played only five ODIs since 2017, as India moved to the wrist spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Regardless, one can expect the engineer from Chennai to come prepared on the big day, if not to bowl, then to provide vital inputs from the sidelines thanks to his astute reading of the game.
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Kuldeep Yadav, 28, Spinner
The left-handed wrist-spinner from Kanpur has been an improved bowler over the past year, getting breakthroughs with regularity. With 48 ODI wickets in 2023, he is also the leading wicket-taker of the year.
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Shardul Thakur, 32, All-rounder
The all-rounder from Palghar, near Mumbai, used to travel about 100km every day to study the game with the best. He played three matches in this World Cup before India decided to go with a third fast-bowler, and picked Mohammed Shami.
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Prasidh Krishna, 27, Fast bowler
Hardik Pandya being ruled out of World Cup opened the door for Prasidh, but barring an injury to one of the three pacers, the chances of him taking the field in the final are non- existent. The right-arm quick from Bengaluru, however, is a promising prospect and has already featured in 17 ODIs.
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Ishan Kishan, 25, Keeper-batter
From the land of MS Dhoni, Kishan has an ODI double ton. He filled in for Gill in two games, where he was out for 0 against Australia and hit 47 versus Afghanistan.
