5 batsmen who shrugged off poor form by excelling in a World Cup

The World Cup is the grandest stage for cricketers to showcase their talent. No matter how well one does in other matches, a good performance in the World Cup always tends to hold greater value in a cricketer's career.Going back a bit into the game's history will show you that most of the best batsmen or bowlers across the past couple of generations have outperformed in World Cup cricket. There are also several examples of cricketers, who were struggling prior to the event, but took their game to a different level in the World Cup.We are witnessing glimpses of this in the ongoing T20 World Cup as well. Pakistan's Shahid Afridi had been in poor form leading up to the tournament; however, he made a blazing start to the tournament with a game-changing 49 against Bangladesh. The 50-over World Cup has seen many more such instances compared to its younger cousin.Let's take a look at 5 great batsmen who recovered from poor form with a riveting performance in a World Cup:

#5 Martin Guptill - 2015 World Cup

Guptill was the top run-scorer in the 2015 World Cup

Avg. in 10 prior innings - 27.44

Avg. in World Cup - 68.37

The most recent example of a player getting over poor form at a World Cup was that of Martin Guptill striking it rich at the 2015 event. The Kiwi opener ended up being the highest run scorer of the tournament with 547 runs and an average in excess of 68.

Guptill was not in the best of form before the start of the 2015 World Cup as he had scored a mere 247 runs at an average of 27.44 in his previous 10 innings. But his fortunes transformed as soon as the World Cup began and he went on to play a crucial role in helping New Zealand reach their first ever World Cup final.

The highlight of Martin Guptill's incredible performance was an unbeaten 237 against West Indies in the quarter-final, which is the highest score in a World Cup match. The tall Kiwi batsman came up with a fine example of raising the bar when the stakes are high.

#4 AB de Villiers - 2011 World Cup

de Villiers was South Africa’s hero in the 2011 World Cup

Avg. in 10 prior innings - 32.30

Avg. in World Cup - 88.25

Arguably the world's greatest batsman at present, South Africa's AB de Villiers, has been a fantastic performer in World Cup cricket, particularly in the ODI format. Even when his team has struggled, de Villiers has put in every effort to revive them with the power of his outstanding batting.

Mr. 360, as he is popularly known, produced a stellar performance for South Africa in the 2011 World Cup as well. In 5 matches that the Proteas played, AB scored 353 runs at a stunning average of 88.25. Unfortunately for him, though, his team was unable to progress beyond the quarter-final as they were knocked out by New Zealand.

Quite remarkably, AB de Villiers had been struggling for form before the start of the 2011 World Cup. He had scored just 323 runs at an average of slightly above 32 in 10 innings leading up to the tournament. But de Villiers managed to put it all aside and brought out his best for the team.

#3 Adam Gilchrist - 2007 World Cup

Gilchrist flattened the opposition in the 2007 World Cup

Avg. in 10 prior innings - 22.20

Avg. in World Cup - 45.30

Australia's swashbuckling limited-overs opener, Adam Gilchrist, is always remembered as a player for the big occasion and this is something that he proved time and again in his career. Gilchrist was one of the key players for the Aussies in their hat-trick of World Cup triumphs between 1999 and 2007.

Prior to the start of the 2007 World Cup, though, the southpaw was struggling for form and averaged just 22.20 in 10 previous innings. However, he made his presence felt in the tournament in a big way as he scored 453 runs at an average of more than 45.

Adam Gilchrist stored his best for the final and scored a memorable 149 to squander any hopes of Sri Lanka winning the World Cup for the second time. Quite obviously, he received the Player of the Final award for his efforts.

#2 Mahela Jayawardene - 2007 World Cup

Jayawardene was Sri Lanka’s star performer in the 2007 World Cup

Avg. in 10 prior innings - 18.22

Avg. in World Cup - 60.88

One of Sri Lankan cricket's biggest icons, Mahela Jayawardene, is known to produce some splendid performances in nearly all World Cups that he played, irrespective of the format. The stylish player was one of the driving forces behind his team's great showing at the biggest stage over the past few years.

Among Sri Lanka's finest performances in World Cup history was them making it to the final of the 50-over event in 2007. Jayawardene ended the tournament as the second highest run-scorer with 548 runs at a terrific average of just under 61.

However, leading up to the tournament, the legendary batsmen was in the worst possible form as he averaged just 18.22 in 10 previous innings. This was certainly one of the best instances of a batsman shrugging off bad form by doing well in a World Cup.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar - 2003 World Cup

Tendulkar showed his masterclass in the 2003 World Cup

Avg. in 10 prior innings - 25.50

Avg. in World Cup - 61.18

India's legendary batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, is known to be the most prolific batsman in World Cup history. A great proof of this is the fact that Tendulkar was the highest run-getter in 2 out of the 6 World Cups he played.

Ahead of the 2003 World Cup, Sachin and almost the entire Indian batting line-up were in disarray following a string of poor performances. The master batsman had managed to average just 25.50 in 10 innings prior to the tournament.

Come the World Cup, however, Sachin Tendulkar shifted gears completely and played like the champion batsman that he was. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with a monumental tally of 673 runs at an average of over 61.

Sachin's stellar performance took India to the final, where they lost to Australia. However, the iconic batsman did receive the Player of the Series award for his heroics.