5 Indians with highest batting averages in World Cups 

Two-time world champions India are one of the most dominant forces in world cricket at the moment, both in terms of administration as well as the quality of cricket. India are currently the top-ranked Test side in the world, and sit at the second spot in both ODIs and T20s. This supremacy in world cricket is not an overnight success though. The event which can be attributed to have changed the scenario of cricket in India forever is the 1983 World Cup victory, which inspired generations to take up the game and also made the game immensely popular among Indian public.

Since then, not many teams have performed better than India in any World Cup or other ICC tournaments. Barring the 1992 and 2007 World Cup debacles, India have a more than decent record in the period after the 1983 victory. 3 times semifinalists, one time runner-ups and the champions in 2011, India have had their World Cup heroes, some being consistent ones like Sachin and Dravid, while others sparkling in the single tournament they were part of, like Gambhir.

Here we look at 5 Indian players with highest batting averages in World Cup history:

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5. Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu, India's opener in the 1987 and 1996 World Cups, stands fifth in the list of batsmen with highest batting average by Indians in World Cups. Dubbed a strokeless wonder at the start of his career in 1983, Sidhu returned with vengeance at the 1987 World Cup, scoring four fifties in a row. His 93 against Pakistan in the 1996 quarter-finals remains the highlight of his World Cup career.

A career spanning 136 games, Sidhu finished with 4413 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 37.08 and a strike rate of 69.73. He had 6 hundreds and 33 fifties to his name in ODIs with a best score of 134.

In 10 World Cup innings, Sidhu scored 454 runs at an average of 45.4 and a strike rate of 78.82. He had 7 fifties in World Cups, including 4 consecutive fifties at the 1987 World Cup and had a best of 93 at Bangalore in 1996 against Pakistan. He had two semifinal appearances in both the World Cups he was a part of.

4. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

Being a key part of both the T20 World Cup 2007 as well the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh has always been a big match player, as evident from the difference in his career average and his average in World Cups. The Player of the Tournament at the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj played through the World Cup battling cancer. Making his debut in 2000, he was a part of 3 World Cup campaigns from 2003 and 2011.

In 304 ODIs till date, Yuvi has 8701 runs to his name at an average of 36.56 and a strike rate of 87.68 including 14 hundreds and 52 fifties. He performed exceedingly well at the 2007 World Cup as well, where the rest of the team except Ganguly failed to perform upto the expectations.

In 21 innings, Yuvraj has 738 runs in World Cups with a highest score of 113 against West Indies in 2011. He has 1 hundred and 7 fifties to his name at an average of 52.71 and a strike rate of 90.33. His all round performance earned him the Player of the Tournament in the victorious campaign in 2011.

3. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

'Dada', as he is fondly called by fans, Ganguly finished his captaincy tenure as the most successful Indian skipper. Known for his expressive captaincy, he was a part of 3 World Cups between 1999 and 2007, and led his side to the final of the 2003 World Cup. Also he was one of India's best performers in an otherwise disappointing 2007 World Cup. The third batsman in the world to cross the 10000 run mark, Ganguly was ranked as the sixth greatest ODI batsman of all time by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002.

In 311 ODIs, Sourav finished with 11363 runs at an average of 41.02, including 22 hundreds and 72 fifties. He captained India for 146 matches, winning 76 and losing 65 games from 2000 to 2005. He is also the only cricketer to win four consecutive Man of the Match awards in ODIs.

In 21 games, Ganguly scored 1006 runs at an average of 55.89 and a strike rate of 77.5. He had 4 hundreds and 3 fifties to his name with a highest score of 183.

2. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin has been a huge factor behind the explosion of popularity that cricket enjoys in India. Sachin Tendulkar is among the top 3 in almost all batting charts in ODI cricket and this list is no different. The highest run getter in World Cups, Sachin stands second in the list of Indians with best batting averages in World Cups with an average of 56.95.

Playing his first World Cup in 1992, Sachin was a part of 6 World Cup campaigns for India till 2011, where India emerged victorious after 28 years. His 673 from 11 innings at an average of 61.18 remains the highest aggregate in a single World Cup. Sachin still holds the record of most runs, most hundreds and most fifties in ODI cricket, among many other records. In 463 games, Sachin finished with 18426 runs with 49 hundreds and 96 fifties at an average of 44.83.

In 44 innings, Sachin scored 2278 runs in World Cups with a highest score of 152 against Namibia in 2003. He had 6 hundreds and 15 fifties at an average of 56.95 and a strike rate of 88.98. He was also India's highest run getter at the 2011 World Cup.

1. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

'The Wall', as he is known in the cricketing fraternity, Rahul Dravid has been India's most successful batsman in terms of batting average with an average of 61.43 from 22 matches. Being part of 3 World Cups from 1999 and 2007, Dravid was the highest run getter in the 1999 World Cup in England and captained the side in the 2007 tournament in West Indies.

Dravid, who originally was not considered to suit the shorter format, proved his critics wrong as his numbers stacked up favourable against the best in the format. In 343 ODIs, Dravid aggregated 10820 runs which included 12 hundreds and 82 fifties, the second most by an Indian.

In World Cup games, Dravid ended with 860 runs from 21 innings with 2 hundreds and 6 fifties, at an average of 61.43, a strike rate of 74.98 and a best score of 145. However, the only thing deserting Dravid in his successful career was a World Cup trophy.