ODI XI that can beat any cricketing nation

As we cricket fans all around the world may be aware, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is around the corner, and we cannot wait to witness the epic clashes such as high-voltage India vs Pakistan, India vs Australia, Australia and New Zealand etc.

One Day Cricket has come a long way, and many might want to argue that, at a time when the short, entertainment-oriented T20 format is threatening to steal the show, and the sanctity of Test cricket seems endangered, ODIs are 'the' format to watch and judge a side.

It would be intriguing to see how the defending champions, Australia come up and perform, given the horrors of the ball tampering incident of early 2018. The national side has suffered largely due to the absence of their star player duo, David Warner and Steve Smith, and it is unknown how they would fare in the World Cup as they would have been out of International match practice for a year by then.

David Warner(left) and Steve Smith(right) had been the backbones of the Australian batting lineup

While teams such as England, India and New Zealand seem settled, others are yet to address issues regarding selection of the squads and first choice playing XIs. Given the state of cricketing affairs, as they presently are, we might want to have a look at the strongest possible playing XIs from across all nations.

Let us find out who all make the cut into the final XI based on their potential.

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#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma will open the batting

A young man from Mumbai, who was decent in the middle-order and could also finish off innings with a few big hits, was never an India regular, until ICC Champions Trophy 2013, when he was made to open by then Indian Captain MS Dhoni and the rest is history.

Not only was he instrumental in giving good starts along with Dhawan to India, which eventually led to India lifting the trophy, but he has also become a nightmare for bowlers. Every bowler wants to get him out early now, as they are well aware of the fact that if he gets on top of them, it wouldn't take long for him to convert the 50s into 100s and 100s into 200s, having touched the 200-mark thrice, including a 264.

If Sharma is able to go at the same rate for just a couple more years, he is certain to go down the lanes of the history of the game as a cricketing great!

#2 Johnny Bairstow

Bairstow has staggering numbers in 2018 as an opener to support his inclusion

The English keeper batsman might be a bit of a surprise, just the way his performances were too, but he has shown tremendous potential and capability at the top for England. He has virtually replaced Alex Hales and the latter's place in the playing XIs for England's World Cup side is under grave threat.

Bairstow has scored 1025 runs in 22 matches at an average of 46.6 and a massive strike rate of 118. He has four hundreds and two fifties to justify his inclusion.

#3 Virat Kohli (C)

Virat Kohli has taken Indian Cricket to new heights since the time he has announced himself to the cricketing world

The Indian skipper is a no-brainer for any World XI side and the numbers he has are absolutely jaw-dropping. With 1200 runs in 14 innings of 2018 and also playing the captain's role well, Kohli walks in as the marquee player of the lineup. Not to forget his monstrous average of 133.5.

#4 Shai Hope

Hope has been the backbone of the Windies ODI Batting setup

Shai Hope walks in as the wicket-keeper batsman at number 4. He has a remarkable average of 47.5 and offers stability to his West Indian side, which is full of big hitters who have seldom found it in their zone to play calm and composed knocks.

Hope has brought in what had been missing from the West Indian table for quite a while. He scored a hundred against the mighty Indians in India and backed it up with a 95 in the subsequent match and that spoke volumes of his consistency and adaptability.

#5 Shimron Hetmyer

Hetmyer was purchased by the RCB for IPL 2019 for a hefty 4.2 Crores

The talk of the town, the man who wreaked havoc in the bilateral series against India has caught the attention of one and all with his fabulous hitting and innings building abilities. The West Indies never lacked firepower, having the likes of Gayle, Pollard, Russell and etc at their disposal, but what they did lack was firepower backed with consistency.

Hetmyer has come in and filled the role of that much needed attacking innings builder. The way he scored a 106 off just 78 balls and again a 94 off just 64 balls against India in two ODI games was proof of the fact that he can go on to be a modern day great. Hetmyer can be a brilliant asset for any side he plays for.

#6 Ben Stokes

Stokes has settled as England's genuine and dependable seam-bowling All-Rounder

Ben Stokes cannot be ignored from any limited overs side, simply because of the skill set he brings onto the table. An orthodox yet attacking style of batting complimented with some good medium pace bowling abilities and extraordinary fielding, Stokes is a definite heir of the Jacques Kallis and Shane Watson legacy.

While it may make more sense to bat him at 5, Hetmyer is more likely to take that position due to his ability to score big in spite of hitting the boundary ropes pretty often. Stokes is yet to show that level of consistency and score big with the bat.

#7 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is India's long searched fast bowling all-rounder

Hardik Pandya may not have outstanding numbers to suggest his inclusion, but the immense potential and value that he carries are enough to pick him. Pandya can hit the big shot at will and can be crucial while finishing off innings.

His fast-bowling abilities will also prove beneficial in the middle overs and his top-notch fielding will help the team save crucial runs.

#8 Rashid Khan

The Afghanistan Leg-spinner is a legend in the making

Whenever you take his name, you think, does he really need an introduction? That's how good he has, and that's the niche he has created for himself as a limited overs specialist. He is the undisputed number one spinner in the world and walks into the side majestically.

Not to forget that apart from his undecipherable leg breaks, googlies, and other variations, Khan can smash the ball out of the park too. He will be extremely handy at number 8.

#9 Mitchell Starc

Starc is someone who most batsmen dread facing and even fear facing when he is at his best

Though Starc has not been at his best over the last 12 months or so, everyone remembers what he did for Australia in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He single-handedly won the World Cup for his country with the ball.

Starc has been injury prone and that has rendered him unfit and thus, missing from the top ranks, but on his day, he can be as lethal as one can imagine and rip batting lineups apart. His unplayable in-swinging yorkers bowled at 150+km/h are something that great batsmen too don't seem to have an answer to.

#10 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep will be lethal when bowling alongside Rashid Khan

Could any non-subcontinental batsman ask for a worse nightmare? The combination of Rashid Khan and Kuldeep Yadav from either end would be one of the deadliest spin duos to have ever bowled together. Kuldeep too has been undecipherable for South African, English and Australian batsmen so far, and is expected to make the most out of this side.

Kuldeep has been a revelation for India, taking over the spinner's roles along with Yuzvendra Chahal from Ashwin and Jadeja. The way he has shaped his career since then is a testimony of his skills and potential as a bowler.

#11 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah is presently the best bowler in the world

The world's best, Bumrah has grown so much in so less time that one cannot stop but think how wonderful a bowler he is. He has not only been phenomenal in the ODI format but is a T20 specialist and has put Australian bowlers to shame by bowling outstandingly well in the ongoing Test series in Australia.

Bumrah is beyond excellent in every format of the game and is expected to bowl with the new ball for this side and also bowl at the death. He is now known to scare batsmen away with his lengths and pace, and then scalping their wickets.