With the T20 fever back again with the ICC T20 World Cup, expect the batsmen to be at their rampaging best. The format since its inception has been a happy hunting ground for the batsmen and as a matter of fact the format has become so popular because of the entertainment provided by the big hitters of the game.
Over the past few years, the bowlers have also started coming with good performances and at times counter the batsmen with great bowling, but still the format is dominated by the latter.
With the T20 extravaganza in Sri Lanka just couple of days away, let us have a look at few of the batsmen to watch out for in the tournament:
Chris Gayle: Chris Gayle is someone who is an ideal match for T20 cricket. He has hit the highest number of sixes in T20 World Cup and also has been in good form lately. He was the highest run scorer in the IPL season V and his international T20 strike rate is 143.91. He has one century and seven fifties to his name and everyone will be hoping to avoid his wrath. He can decimate any bowling attack at will and the he will hold the key to West Indies’ chance in the tournament.
Brendon McCullum: The Kiwis wicket-keeper with his flamboyant 91 against India in Chennai few days backs showed what a dangerous batsman he is when it comes to T20. He has nine fifties and a century to his name. He also holds the distinction of hitting number of sixes in this format and strikes the cricket at a rate of 133 per 100 balls. He is definitely the batsmen to watch out for in this tournament.
David Warner: The Australian opener, over the years, has made this format his own. The kind of hitting he displays at the top of the innings is enough to kill the morale of a team. He scores at a rate of 140.71 and it is very difficult to stop him once he gets going. He is one man who can change the game in course of few overs as was seen in their last T20 game against Pakistan. He is a very innovative batsman and his switch hits are as powerful as his regular heave. Australia have hit the highest number of sixes in the T20 and Warner played a substantial role in achieving that with his 46 hits over the rope.
AB de Villiers: The wonder boy from South Africa can do everything on the field and that includes batting, keeping, bowling and fielding. But then the Proteas would want him to shine with the bat most in the tournament. He is someone who can adapt to any role while batting. If his team requires him to bat up the order he will do that or later when the tempo needs to be increased. De Villiers with a strike rate of 120 has the knack of winning matches from losing situations and his team will be counting on him.
Virat Kohli: The batting sensation from India is on a roll and this is going to be his first T20 World Cup. He has played an instrumental role in India’s success in International cricket for quite some time now and definitely will look to sustain his momentum in this format as well. He seems to be in good form and scored a brilliant half century against New Zealand in the last T20 International in Chennai few days back which unfortunately went in vain. But then he showed that he will be a force to reckon in the tournament. Kohli has played just 11 T20 international but then has already scored two half centuries and has a career strike rate of 135.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News Network
