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There's just a difference of 10 rating points between Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Indian opener Shubman Gill in the ICC men's ODI rankings ahead of the 2023 World Cup. This is the lowest margin between the top two batters since 1983.
It would have been even closer or Gill might have taken over Babar had India not rested him for the third ODI against Australia on Wednesday. Either way, we are set for a mouth-watering battle between the two superstar right-handers.
But has the ICC ranking position before the World Cup ever translated into performances during the tournament? Let's find out by looking at the top-ranked players in the lead-up to the previous three World Cups in 2019, 2015, and 2011.
ICC 2019 World Cup - Virat Kohli
Then-Indian captain Virat Kohli was close to his best in ODI cricket. He achieved a career-best and still a record rating of 911 in 2018 before coming slightly down to 890 points on the first day of the 2019 World Cup. He was still way ahead at the top, with Rohit Sharma at second with 839 points.
Kohli had scored six centuries and three half-centuries in the lead-up to the tournament, making fans put a lion's share of their hopes in his hands. But Rohit's unforeseen purple patch (648 runs and five centuries at an average of 81), meant that the number three batter didn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Kohli ended the tournament as the 11th-best run-scorer and Rohit closed the gap on him to just five rating points when India lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals.
ICC 2015 World Cup - AB de Villiers
2015 wasn't said to be South Africa's year for no reason. Like India in 2019, they had two batters - AB de Villiers (891) and Hashim Amla (867) - at the top of the ICC men's ODI rankings. Kohli was way behind at third with 831 rating points.
De Villiers' average in the four rubbers (all at least three games) before the World Cup read: 107.50, 159, 67.75, and 83. He took that form to the World Cup too, scoring the record-shattering 66-ball 162 against West Indies, half-centuries against Pakistan and New Zealand, and a 99 against the UAE.
The then-Proteas captain averaged 96.40 in the World Cup, striking at 144.31. South Africa lost to New Zealand in the semi-final in one of the most enthralling ODIs ever as de Villiers was left in tears on the field.
He ended the tournament with 902 rating points as Amla and Kohli couldn't catch up with 828 and 822 rating points, respectively.
ICC 2011 World Cup - Hashim Amla
The same three players as the 2015 World Cup were on the top of the ICC men's ODI rankings in 2011 but in a different order. Amla led the line with 886 rating points, with Kohli and de Villiers at 799 and 782 respectively.
Amla hadn't averaged below 50 in the seven ODI series before the 2011 World Cup. The opening batter scored six tons and nine half-centuries in this period. However, he couldn't exactly bring the same form to India.
He scored a century against the Netherlands plus two fifties against India and Bangladesh but ended with an overall average of 43.71. The right-handed batter was the 14th-highest run-scorer in the tournament where the Proteas lost to New Zealand in the third quarter-final.
He was still at the top of the rankings but with 861 points followed by de Villiers at 803 and Tillekeratne Dilshan at 760. Kohli slipped to ninth with 728 points.
