Top 10 Debutants to watch out for in Cricket World Cup 2023

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 kicks off today with the opening match between England and New Zealand. The match is a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final which England won by the barest of margins courtesy of a superior boundary count. A lot has changed in the four years between the World Cup with ODI cricket’s future hanging by a thin thread. The emergence of T20 Cricket as the market leader has led to the thought of scrapping the ODI World Cup also being pondered upon by the organizers. 

All things said there is no hiding from the fact that the ODI World Cup is still relevant and there is a buzz around the new edition of the tournament starting today

Here’s a look at the top 10 debutants to watch out for in this edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has had a staler 2023 which began with a double century in the ODI series against New Zealand in January. The Indian opener has scored more than 1,000 runs in a calendar year in this format of the game and has been the mainstay of Indian batting. The right-hander has the experience of playing a World Cup as he represented India in the 2018 U19 World Cup held in New Zealand which India won after defeating Australia in the final. Shubman was the standout batter for India in that tournament as well which included a century against Pakistan in the semi-final.

Shubman Gill is currently number second ODI batter in the ICC rankings and has been continuously batting with an amazing temperament.

Najmul Hossain Shanto

The Bangladeshi top-order batter has had a magnificent year so far which started with a memorable Bangladesh Premier League. He has been the mainstay of Bangladesh's batting which has otherwise been a sorry show. Shanto who is also the vice-captain of the team will look to continue his run-scoring form during the World Cup as well in the absence of senior batter and former captain Tamim Iqbal who has been left out of the squad due to fitness issues. So far he has an experience of 30 games in which he has scored 908 runs with an average of above 31.

Rachin Ravindra

A player with the initials of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar as his name. Rachin Ravindra might not be as popular as some of the other debutants in this World Cup but the boy has got some serious talent. This was on show when New Zealand toured India in 2021 for a two-match test series the first match of which ended in a thrilling draw courtesy of a fighting last-wicket partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel. Since then Ravindra has been in and around the New Zealand setup and has emerged as a good all-round option for the Blackcaps 

So far in 12 games, he has picked up 12 wickets. Also, with the bat, he has scored 189 runs with an average above 23 

Cameron Green

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green can be the surprise element for other teams in the World Cup. With height being a big advantage for him he can get the ball to bounce on pitches which has some help for the bowlers, especially in the western part of India like Mumbai and Ahmadabad. Another thing that makes Green the player to watch out for is his fielding. He has already made a name for himself as a good slip fielder in his first Ashes series in 2021 with his bucket-size hands he can guard the third-man region and save crucial runs for his team.

He made his ODI debut against India in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. He had a decent IPL and his ODI performance has also been honourable. He has an average of 34.45 in the 20 games with bat and on the bowling front, he has grabbed 16 scalps but has been a touch on the expensive side. 

Dunith Wellalage 

A name with which Indian fans will be familiar is that of Dunith Wellalage. The left-arm spinner has had a good run of form in the last year. The 20-year-old made his ODI debut against Australia last year and has not looked back since then. 

In 19 games that he played, he has taken 19 wickets with an average of 25.37. Apart from his outstanding bowling, he can bat in the lower order as well with a decent technique. The youngster had his moment when he picked up five wickets in the Super Four clash against India in the Asia Cup on a wicket which was assisting the spinners

Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf is one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket at the moment In 28 games he has picked up 53 wickets. His ability to bowl at the death with sheer pace makes him very difficult to play. The Rawalpindi-born player can bowl at 145 km/h+ regularly and if accurate he is very difficult to put away. His standout spell in ODI cricket came against Afghanistan when he picked up five wickets while defending a small total in the first game of the three-match ODI series played before the Asia Cup.

Marco Jansen 

The South African all-rounder has had a decent outing in international cricket so far. All though he is yet to deliver with the bat, with the ball he bowled a match-winning spell against Australia in the recently concluded five-match ODI series which the Proteas won 3-2 after losing the first two matches comprehensively. So far in his short career he has picked up 18 wickets in 14 games and has scored 265 runs with an average of 29.44 and SR of 114.72. His performance in both the department provides South Africa with amazing balance. 

Suryakumar Yadav

Undoubtedly one of the best T20 batter at present SKY is ranked number one in T20 ranking. But for some reason, the Mumbai-based batter hasn’t been able to crack the bating code in the ODI format of the game. In 30 games he has scored 667 runs in ODIs with just four 50+ scores. His average of 27.79 doesn’t do any justice to his exceptional talent but his SR of 105.71 is the key factor in his selection. He may be extremely lethal if India tries to play him in the lower order as he can strike big with the range of shots he has in the death overs.

Shreyas Iyer

The right-hand batter was one of the most consistent batter for India at number 4 from 2019- 2021. But it was the shoulder injury followed by a lower back injury that has affected his career to a great extent. The multiple injuries ruled him out of two consecutive T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022. He made a smaller comeback this year in the series against Australia with a century in the second ODI and helped India to win the match and the series. Iyer has scored more than 800 runs at number four which is the most by a batter at that position since the 2019 ODI World Cup.

Devon Conway

The South Africa-born New Zealand batter Devon Conway has been scoring runs consistently since making his international debut against England in June 2021. He has been the mainstay of the New Zealand batting and has been the batter who has been carrying the team in the absence of captain Kane Williamson who has missed the majority of the games this year due to an injury.

Cover Credits: ICCofficial.com