ICC World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli names one rival player he wants in his team 

What’s the story?

Team India captain Virat Kohli has revealed that if he had to pick one player for his team from the competing countries at the 2019 World Cup, he would choose South African skipper Faf du Plessis.

In case you didn’t know...

The 2019 World Cup starts from May 30th, with the hosts England taking on South Africa in the opener at the Oval. Du Plessis would be leading the South African team in the absence of fan-favourite AB de Villiers, who has retired from international cricket.

The heart of the matter

Ten countries will battle it out in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019. Ahead of the marquee tournament, the skippers were put in a difficult position on Thursday as they were asked which rival player they wish was part of their squads.

While some captains such as Jason Holder, Gulbadin Naib and Eoin Morgan dodged the question, Kohli, known for his honest behavior named his friend Ddu Plessis.

“AB is retired. I would have definitely picked him but have to pick from the active lot so I’ll pick Faf du Plessis, he is a great friend and definitely someone with whom I would like to bat.”

Q: Which player from another team would you pick in your side? @imVkohli: Faf du Plessis! The 🇮🇳 captain explains why 👇 pic.twitter.com/MrGneDTccB

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) May 24, 2019

Du Plessis, meanwhile, named three players who he would prefer to have in his team. He picked Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins as the bowlers, while Kohli was his top choice among batsmen.

“Pitches are really good, there are going to be plenty of runs so I believe bowling is going to win you matches in later part of the tournament.

"Bumrah is bowling really well in all formats and from Australia Pattrick Cummins.

"I would like to have bowlers like them in my team and batsman would definitely be Virat Kohli."

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza also named Kohli as his preferred choice.

What’s next?

India begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5th at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Southampton.