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It is fair to say that Australia has by far been the most consistent sides when it comes to the 50-over showpiece event, the World Cup.
While some of the big teams like England, South Africa, and New Zealand have failed to grab the silverware once, the Aussies have won the 50-over showpiece event five times, the latest being the 2015 World Cup.
The 2015 showpiece event was held across the Trans-Tasman, with Australia beating co-hosts New Zealand in the finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Australian team of 2015 had a plethora of match-winners at their dis[posal. With Michale Clarke at the helm, Australian possessed a powerful batting-order in Warner, Smith, Finch, Maxwell, Haddin, Watson and the skipper himself. To back their bowling, they had a bowling attack that was the envy of the other sides. In Mitchell Starc (22 wickets and Player of the tournament), Hazlewood, Faulkner, who was the player of the match in the finals, Australia had pretty much every base covered, and were rightfully crowned Champions for the fifth time.
That said, in this blog today let us try and create a current World ODI XI that could possibly beat the 2015 Champions Australia.
Here's my compilation:
#1 Rohit Sharma
Opening the batting will be India's talismanic opener, Rohit Sharma. Rohit, who averages 53.80 in 98 innings as an opener, shares a blistering opening partnership with Dhawan. Rohit enjoys a great time against the Australians, with six of his hundreds coming against 2015 champions, second only to Tendulkar (9). The only batsman on the planet to hit three double hundreds in 50-over cricket, Rohit Sharma will partner Dhawan at the top of the order.
Ever since the pair started opening in 2013, Dhawan and Rohit have accumulated 3323 runs in 75 innings at a breathtaking average of 44.90 which includes 12 century-plus opening stands and nine fifty-plus partnerships.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the key performers for India at the top of the order ever since he made his comeback to the team at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
Dhawan made his debut back in 2010, only to lose it to the then incumbent Virender Sehwag.
He, however, made an outstanding comeback into the ODI team three years later, accumulating 380 runs in the Champions Trophy, which included two back to back centuries against South Africa and West Indies.
Dhawan has scored 10 more centuries since then, making it twelve in 98 innings at a healthy average of 45.65.
Dhawan can take the attack onto the Australians early and can along with Sharma can pave way for shenanigans of the middle-order to take over.
#3 Virat Kohli
With 35 hundred in 200 innings, Kohli is head and shoulders ahead of his contemporaries. He made his debut as an opener in 2008 against Sri Lanka, but it was only in the December of 2009 that he gave a glimpse of his greatness, when he scored his debut hundred in a run chase against Sri Lanka. One of the most significant limited-overs batsmen, Virat Kohli, walks into this team at No.3
Apart from his immaculate stroke-play, one of the greatest assets of Virat Kohli is his game sense and playing risk-free conventional cricket by running ones and twos, a testimony to his supreme fitness. Kohli has had a measure of Australia in the past having accumulated five hundred against the 2015 champions, with two of them coming Down Under back in 2016.
Kohli at No.3 will serve as an anchor for the side.
#4 AB de Villiers
In 228 ODIs, the former Proteas skipper has accumulated 9577 runs at an average of 53.5 and a swashbuckling strike-rate of 150.36. It's unfathomable as to what De Villers can achieve on a cricket field. Blessed with an innate ability to hit a cricket ball 360 degrees, De Villers remains one of the greatest batsmen to have ever graced a cricket field.
On his day, the South African can take the game away from the opposition and take on the likes of Faulkner, Johnson, and Maxwell in the middle-overs.
#5 Eoin Morgan
The youngest non-subcontinental cricketer to score an ODI hundred, Eoin Morgan features in our list at No.5.
The current English ODI skipper and one of the few players to represent two countries (England and Ireland), Morgan has been one of the most consistent performers in white-ball cricket ever since he made his debut for Ireland in 2006.
With an immaculate game-sense and an ability to take the attack to the opposition, Morgan will be an ideal foil at No.5, in case the team loses early wickets and can serve as an anchor around which the shenanigans of the lower-middle order can take over. Morgan has had a good outing against the Aussies in the past, having accumulated three hundred.
In 200 ODI matches, Morgan has already accumulated 6031 runs at an average of 37.0 and a strike-rate of 88.04.
#6 Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes, who made his debut in 2011, has featured in 67 ODI games for England and has accumulated 1791 runs at a strike-rate of 96.24. With an ability to hit the ball a mile and chipping in with crucial wickets at a vital juncture of a match, Ben Stokes will serve as an X-factor for the squad
Besides his batting, Stokes has taken 58 wickets which also includes a five-wicket haul of 5-61 against Australia in 2013. Stokes played a match-winning knock of 102 to knock the Australians out of the Champions Trophy last year and will serve as an X-Factor of the side.
Stokes apart from being a handy bowler, and as a batsman can chip in with some lusty blows at the death against the likes of Starc and Hazlewood in the closing stages of the inning.
#7 MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper)
Apart from his excellent ODI record that has seen him accumulate 9967 runs in 318 ODIs at an astounding average of 51.38, what sets Dhoni apart is his immaculate game-sense especially in crunch situations, something which has been testified time and again.
With virtually all the trophies in his cabinet, it is practically impossible to imagine an ODI playing XI without the talismanic MS Dhoni. Dhoni's experience of captaining in crunch situations will be crucial against Australia.
#8 Yuvendra Chahal
Leading the spin-balling attack will be young teenage leggie, Yuzvendra Chahal. While bowling on a ground as small as the Chinnaswamy stadium, Chahal's strength lies in tossing the ball up whilst inviting the batsmen to go for the big shots, and with Australian team constituting a plethora of them, Chahal's variations will hold the key in the middle-overs.
This aforementioned quality was epitomized to the hilt in the recently concluded limited over series in South Africa where the vile leg-spinner foxed the batsman with the turn and guile. Chahal has featured in 23 ODI thus far and has already claimed 43 wickets at an average of 21.84 and an economy of 4.76.
#9 Kuldeep Yadav
The mystery spin is the flavor of the season, and with a plethora of right-handed batsmen in the Aussie line-up like Michael Clarke, Smith and Faulkner, Yadav's variations can weave a stranglehold on their famed batting line-up.
Kuldeep, who took a hat-trick against Australia at the Eden Gardens, has already accumulated 39 wickets at an average of 20.03 and a strike-rate of 25.03, and his combination with Chahal will prove to be an ideal foil in the middle-overs.
#10 Jasprit Bumrah
Leading the pace-attack will be Jasprit Bumrah. Having lived in the shadow of Lasith Malinga during his formative years, Bumrah, with his slow deliveries to crushing reverse-swinging yorkers at the death, has grown to become an indispensable part of the national team.
Bumrah has thus far featured in 37 ODIs and has accounted for 54 wickets at an average of 22.5. Bumrah made his limited-overs debut against Australia back in 2016 and impressed with figures of 2-40 getting the likes of Smith and Faulkner.
He has emerged as a death-over specialist, and his toe-crushing yorkers and subtle variations will come handy against the likes of Faulkner, Haddin, and Maxwell at the death.
#11 Trent Boult
Partnering Bumrah in the fast bowling department will be New Zealand's swing sensation, Trent Boult. With an ability to swing the ball prodigiously, Boult has proceeded to become one of World's most potent bowler.
Having made his ODI debut in 2012 against the West Indies, Boult's finest hour in International cricket arrived during the 2015 ICC World Cup, as he spearheaded the Kiwi pace attack with 22 scalps, that included a pulsating 5-28 against the eventual Wolrd Champions Australia, as he ran through their famed batting order.
Boult has thus far featured in 66 ODIs and has thus far accumulated 122 wickets at an average of 23.64, including four five-wicket hauls.
The combo of Boult and Bumrah would be ideal against the famed Aussie batting line-up of Finch, Smith, Warner, and Clarke, and can proceed to provide crucial breakthroughs both in the powerplay as well as the death overs.
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