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All throughout this article series on the 2023 World Cup, we've said the same thing - individual records only make sense when the team wins. If the team loses, the same records become worthless and even weapons of ridicule.
India and New Zealand haven't played a bigger match in the last four years. One of them will not play a bigger match for the next four years.
ODI World Cups hit differently. Amid all the talk about the format dying, don't be surprised if viewership numbers go well past the ones there for India's semi-final against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup (yes, that happened too).
There are again three players who may or may not know about what individual record they might get to their name today. But you should. Because if the team you support wins, it might enhance your happiness a bit more. If not then these might just help you ease the pain a bit. Read along!
#3 Rohit Sharma needs 2 sixes to break Chris Gayle's record
Having hit two sixes in India's previous match against the Netherlands, Rohit Sharma went past AB de Villiers as the record six-hitter in a calendar year. It also took his overall six tally in ODI World Cups to 47 in just 26 matches.
If he hits three more today, he'll go past Chris Gayle (49 sixes in 35 matches) to be the highest six-hitter in the competition history.
Glenn Maxwell is not too behind (43 sixes in 23 matches) but Rohit can widen the gap with him against the short boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium, also his home ground.
#2 Daryl Mitchell could be the fastest to 1500 ODI runs for New Zealand
Proof of how underrated he is, Daryl Mitchell has quietly come close to becoming the fastest batter in terms of innings to score 1500 ODI runs for New Zealand. He has 1443 runs in just 34 ODI innings so far and needs 57 runs to beat Martin Guptill's record of reaching the landmark in as many as 46 innings.
Mitchell scored a sluggish but technically brilliant hundred against India in Dharamshala earlier in the 2023 World Cup. His game against Kuldeep Yadav was especially good. If he can re-bring even half of that quality today, the 32-year-old late bloomer could put a rubber stamp on his quality.
#1 Virat Kohli is just 80 runs short of further greatness
Whether you call him selfish or a team man, Virat Kohli has been the best batter of the tournament just based on his sheer consistency. He scored a fifty or a 100 in seven of the nine matches in the league stage.
This has brought his overall tally to 594 runs at an average of 99.00. If he scores 80 more runs today, he'd become the highest run-scorer of a single edition of a World Cup, going past Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 673 from the 2003 World Cup.
