World Cup 2019: Sachin Tendulkar picks his best XI, chooses Kane Williamson as his skipper

Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar had a busy World Cup this year in England although he was not playing. The 46-year-old came up with sharp analysis and sound commentary during the tournament. He was spot on with his viewpoints over results and performances though his compatriot Rohit Sharma had almost ended up breaking his record of accumulating the most number of runs in a single World Cup (673).

Tendulkar picked his World Cup XI while speaking on the television show in Star Sports. He chose his best XI after the tournament got over on Sunday with hosts England winning the final in super over, beating New Zealand at Lord’s. It was a thrilling contest and the Kiwis eventually ended up as the second-best team for hitting less number of boundaries than England.

Tendulkar, who handed over the prizes after the final, picked Rohit and Jonny Bairstow as the two openers of his side. While Rohit hit five centuries in the tournament, Bairstow scored two crucial centuries in England’s final two league matches to take them to the semi-finals. While Rohit scored 648 runs in nine games, Bairstow made 532 runs in 11 matches.

Tendulkar picked New Zealand captain Kane Williamson as the skipper of his side. The New Zealand No. 3 scored two centuries in the tournament to end up with 578 runs which is the most by a captain at a single World Cup edition. Williamson was also picked as the man of the series. Tendulkar picked India captain Virat Kohli at No.4, a position that India themselves struggled to man properly in the tournament.

Kohli made 443 runs in nine innings with five consecutive fifties in this World Cup though could not get a hundred. At No.5, Tendulkar picked Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who excelled both with the bat and ball in this edition. Especially, Shakib’s scoring 606 runs at No.3 made a massive difference for the Bangladeshis.

No wicketkeeper in Tendulkar’s XI

Next in Tendulkar’s side was Ben Stokes, the ace England all-rounder who scored 350 runs with four 80-plus knocks besides taking 11 wickets. Hardik Pandya was preferred for the No.7 position while Ravindra Jadeja, who hit a scintillating 77 off 59 balls in the semi-final clash, was in at No.8.

The Master Blaster then picked Mitchell Starc, who made the record of bagging the most number of wickets in a single World Cup this year (27) bettering his compatriot Glenn McGrath’s 2007 record of 26, Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer for the remaining three positions. There was no wicket-keeper in Tendulkar’s side. Bairstow might have to don the gloves.

Sachin Tendulkar’s best World Cup XI: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Virat Kohli, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Stokes, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer.