Rohit Sharma Breaks Kane Williamson's Historic World Cup Record As Captain

Rohit Sharma didn’t hold back from carrying an aggressive approach in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He scored a brisk 47 off 31 deliveries before Travis Head caught a stunner off Glenn Maxwell’s delivery. However, Rohit Sharma broke another World Cup record in his innings of 47 against Australia in the finals.

Rohit Sharma broke New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s record of scoring the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup as a captain. Kane Williamson scored 578 runs in the 2019 edition of the World Cup as New Zealand’s captain. However, Rohit Sharma finished his batting campaign at the 2023 World Cup with 597 runs in 11 innings with an average of 54.27.

The Indian skipper provided the ‘much important’ start in the final powering India to a total of 80 runs in the first ten overs. He slammed four boundaries and three sixes in his innings and created a huge impact on India’s scorecard after Shubman Gill went back to the pavilion early on.

Rohit Sharma Tops The Elite List Of Captains Scoring Most Runs In World Cup

The list consists of big names like Ricky Ponting, AB de Villiers, Mahela Jayawardene, and Aaron Finch. After Rohit Sharma (597) and Kane Williamson (578), Mahela Jayawardene comes third on the list. The former Sri Lankan skipper scored 548 runs in the 2007 edition of the World Cup. He took Sri Lanka to the finals of the 2007 World Cup but lost to Australia.

After Mahela Jayawardene, comes the Aussie legend Ricky Ponting who scored 539 runs in the 2007 edition where Australia won the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Ricky Ponting is followed by another Australian skipper Aaron Finch who scored 507 runs in the 2019 edition of the World Cup while leading Australia to the semi-finals where they lost to arch-rivals England.

AB de Villiers follows next who scored 482 runs in the 2015 edition of the World Cup. In fact, he led South Africa to the semi-finals of the World Cup but eventually suffered a heartbreaking defeat against New Zealand. The ODI World Cup has seen a lot of captains leading their team from the front but Rohit Sharma has set an example that a selfless and aggressive approach can create a lasting impact on the team’s total.