Former England captain Nasser Hussain selected two batters from India and Pakistan as potential achievers in the upcoming 2024 season.
As the international cricketing events for 2023 conclude, attention turns towards the next year and the anticipated performances of cricketers.
The ICC shared a video on their social media platform where Nasser identified Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as players likely to shine in 2024.
Nasser Hussain singled out the Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli as his primary choice in this regard. He lauded Kohli for his outstanding batting display during the ODI World Cup 2023.
"Virat Kohli. Obviously, he had a fantastic 2023 and World Cup. Amid all the records he broke and the attention, we did not focus on how well he was batting. Technically, I have never seen Virat bat as well like that. The sound of the bat, that innings against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, I can name about five innings where he was getting in a good position. That is a good sign for Virat, India and Virat fans.
"It means that he is in a good mental space and his game is in good order," Nasser Hussain said in the video.
Kohli bounced back to form across various formats this year, concluding as the second-highest run-scorer with 2048 runs in 35 international matches, boasting an impressive average of 66.06. He notched up 8 centuries and 10 fifties.
The pinnacle of his year came when Virat emerged as the leading run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup, accumulating 765 runs in 11 innings. India's World Cup journey didn't culminate in a fairytale ending, succumbing to Australia in the final. Nonetheless, Kohli's individual brilliance earned him the Player of the Tournament accolade.
Nasser Hussain remarked that Babar Azam must deliver a strong performance for his team with the T20 World Cup 2024 slated for next June in the West Indies and USA. Pakistan had reached the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup but faltered against England in the final showdown.
"Another one, they are often compared. Babar Azam. I think it is a massive year for him and Pakistan. He has given up captaincy, that may be the weight off his shoulders. The biggest thing he can do for Pakistan cricket is get shed load of runs. They need him to get runs. There will be a T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. They got to the finals last time. They will need their ex-skipper to put in a real performance," Nasser said.
After Pakistan's failure to qualify for the semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023, Babar relinquished his captaincy roles across all three formats. Babar struggled to leave a mark with the bat during the prestigious tournament, tallying only 320 runs in nine innings. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old accumulated a total of 1065 runs in 25 ODIs throughout 2023, maintaining an average of 46.30.
- Babar Azam
- Virat Kohli