Rachin Ravindra or Virat Kohli? Which player you should want in your Cricket World Cup semifinal team and why

Virat Kohli leading the run-scorers table at this year’s Cricket World Cup comes with about as much surprise as your captain opting to bowl on a green seamer. What has come as of more of a surprise is that there is a Black Cap sitting in third on that same table that is not named Kane Williamson or Devon Conway.

Instead, 23-year-old Rachin Ravindra, who had played just eight One Day Internationals before this World Cup, announced his arrival to the wider cricketing world and is in company with a player who will go down as one of the greats of the game.

But just how close a company is Ravindra keeping with Kohli? Is there such a gulf in class between the two that it would be an easy decision to pick a player who has scored more than 13,000 ODI runs over one who has scored less than 1,000? In a hypothetical world, who would you pick for a World Cup semifinal?

The answer may not be so simple.

In the interests of fairness and objectivity, the Herald will examine each relevant statistic to make a decision:

Head-to-head batting at Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023:

Runs scored - Kohli: 594 | Ravindra: 565

Highest score - Kohli: 103* | Ravindra: 123*

Strike rate - Kohli: 88.52 | Ravindra: 108.44

Average - Kohli: 99.00 | Ravindra: 70.62

100s: Kohli: 2 | Ravindra: 3

50s: Kohli: 5 | Ravindra: 2

0s: Kohli: 1 | Ravindra: 0

Fours: Kohli: 55 | Ravindra 52

Sixes: Kohli: 7 | Ravindra: 17

Result: Kohli: Four | Ravindra: Five

Virat Kohli comes close, but is not superior to Rachin Ravindra at this World Cup when it comes to batting. Ravindra has a higher best score, a better than a run a ball strike rate and more centuries. He also displays more power hitting, having hit 10 more sixes than Kohli, while only hitting three fewer fours.

Kohli has a superior average but his strike rate is lower and in a World Cup semifinal, a ticking scoreboard is essential.

The Black Caps have been able to count on Ravindra to score runs at a decent clip and, once he is set, to go on and make a big score. Virat’s duck against England ended up being the deciding factor in the batting comparison, tipping the balance in favour of Ravindra.

As mentioned, this analysis is to be done with objectivity at its core. Both Ravindra and Kohli have bowled at this World Cup, therefore it is essential to include bowling statistics in the decision-making.

Head-to-head bowling at Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023:

Wickets taken - Kohli: 1 | Ravindra: 5

Best innings bowling - Kohli: 1/13 | Ravindra: 2/21

Average - Kohli: 15.00 | Ravindra: 66.60

Economy rate - Kohli: 4.28 | Ravindra: 5.67

Strike rate - Kohli: 21.00 | Ravindra: 70.40

Result: Kohli: Three | Ravindra: Two

In a twist more shocking than England’s seventh-place finish at this World Cup, it is Kohli’s bowling numbers that claw him level with Ravindra. Granted, Kohli has bowled just the one over at this World Cup, but the fact he took a wicket means it is a valid inclusion to this statistical analysis.

The final selection

The total stands at seven apiece across relevant batting and bowling stats – nothing can split them in a head-to-head battle of the digits. The only way, therefore, to categorically say which player the numbers tell you to pick for your theoretical semifinal side is to go back to the very foundation of cricket: the object of the game.

The object of batting is to score runs, the object of bowling is to take wickets. Ravindra’s highest score at this World Cup is 123*, Kohli’s is 103*. Ravindra has taken five wickets at this World Cup, Kohli has taken one.

A 2-0 scoreline to Ravindra when comparing the two facets of cricket which are of the most significance – fantasy cricket enthusiasts may want to rethink their line-up.

Will Toogood is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has previously worked for Newstalk ZB’s digital team and at Waiheke’s Gulf News, covering sports and events.