World Cup History: Four times an Indian batsman was the highest scorer in the tournament

As time has progressed, the domination of the bat over the ball has constantly increased. While it is also important to have good bowlers, the presence of some great batsmen makes the job easier for the team

The Indian team has always been blessed with some world-class batsmen and the team has mostly relied on the run scorers for their success in international cricket. So it is not a surprise that Indian batsmen have topped the batting charts a number of times in the cricket World Cup.

The Indian fans had to wait until 1996 to see one of their own being the highest-scorer in a World Cup. Since then there have been three more instances of an Indian batsman sitting on the top of the leaderboard. Let us have a look at each of those four special occasions for Indian fans.

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#1 Sachin Tendulkar - 523 runs (1996)

Sachin vs Australia in the 1996 World cup

Before the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid came along, the Indian batting line up was completely dependent on Sachin Tendulkar. The "Master Blaster" had to carry to the burden of the team in the first half of the 1990s and he rarely disappointed.

The legendary batsman scored two centuries and three fifties in the tournament as he helped the Indian team in reaching the semi-finals. The tournament of India and Tendulkar ended with heartbreak as they lost to the eventual winners Sri Lanka.

Chasing a target of 252 on a square turner, Tendulkar was holding the Indian innings together. Once he got out for 65, Indian innings collapsed as they lost seven wickets for 22 runs before crowd interrupted the match. The match was abandoned and Sri Lanka was declared as the winners.

#2 Rahul Dravid - 461 runs (1999)

Rahul Dravid recorded first-ever 300-run partnership in 1999 World cup

1999 World Cup was a poor one for the Indian team as the Men in Blue failed to even qualify for the semi-finals. In the Super Six stages, India managed to win just one match versus Pakistan and even lost to Zimbabwe.

While it was a forgettable in terms of results, Rahul Dravid's efforts in the tournament will never be forgotten. "The Wall" looked solid throughout the series as bowlers seemed helpless in the face of his revamped dynamic batting. The right-hander scored 461 runs in eight matches including two centuries and three half-centuries.

In the match against Sri Lanka, he stitched a brilliant 318 runs partnership with Sourav Ganguly, which was a world record at that time. Dravid also played a crucial role in Inda's only win in the Super Six stages as he scored 61 runs off 89 balls in the high intensity encounter against Pakistan.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar: 673 runs (2003)

Sachin Tendulkar against Pakistan in 1999 World cup

Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman in history to be the highest-scorer in a World Cup twice. Since 1983, the Indian team had never managed to qualify for the knockouts of a World Cup outside India. Since South Africa was the venue that year, very few gave India a chance of making an impression in the tournament.

In a tournament dominated by bowlers, Tendulkar was exceptionally brilliant, scoring 673 runs, which is still the record for the most runs scored by a batsman in a single edition of the World Cup. The batting maestro scored one century and six half-centuries as he deservedly won the Man of the Tournament award.

The fact that Tendulkar scored at least 208 runs more than anyone else in that World Cup is a testament to his skill. The journey ended on a sad note for him as he failed to deliver in the final, and India fell on the last hurdle against Australia.

#4 Rohit Sharma: 648 runs (2019)

Rohit Sharma

The Indian team failed in their effort to lift the World Cup for the third time in history when they were knocked out by Kiwis in the semi-final. While the fans and the players were left disappointed, it was not a bad campaign for Rohit Sharma who finished as the top-scorer of the tournament.

The right-handed batsman scored 648 runs in the tournament, including a record five centuries, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara's record of four tons, made in 2015. Rohit seemed destined to win the World Cup for India but it was not the case as he and his team failed to cross the hurdle in the form of New Zealand.

While his tournament ended on a disappointing note, Rohit's performance will never be forgotten as this was only the fourth instance of an India batsman topping the batting charts in a World Cup.