ICC World Cup 2019: Players who can provide the 'X-Factor' for their team

Hardik Pandya - India

Hardik Pandya

India have produced a lot of talented cricketers in the recent times. The likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal are all developed under Virat Kohli's leadership, but Hardik Pandya is easily one of the biggest stars produced by team India in recent times.

Hardik Pandya is a player who has a knack of making things happen around him, and this is a type of player who is more valuable for the team. Aggressive, and flamboyant, his skills as a finisher will play a significant role in a huge tournament like the World Cup.

In the 42 ODI matches that Pandya has played for India, he has scored 670 runs at a strike-rate of 114.5 and has also taken 40 wickets at an economy of 5.5. With maturity and experience, these numbers are bound to only get better.

Jos Buttler - England

Jos Buttler

2018 saw the best of Jos Buttler, who scored runs for fun in ODIs. While Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jason Roy gave some match-winning performances, it was Buttler, who proved to be the 'X-factor' for England.

In the 101 ODI innings that Buttler has played for England, he has scored 3176 runs with 6 centuries at a massive strike rate of 117. His ability with the bat combined with the shrewd tactics behind the stumps has catapulted England towards ODI success.

If England has any chance to win the World Cup, Buttler has to lead the way with the bat to win some crunch matches like he has already done many times in the recent past.