AB de Villiers picks THIS Indian batsman to be leading run scorer at World Cup, terms Ashwin's selection SMART

Former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has picked India's Shubman Gill to be the leading run-scorer at the upcoming ODI World Cup which starts next month on October 5 in India. Gill has been in stellar form this year with 1230 runs in 20 matches. The Indian opener has also scored five hundreds and five fifties in this period as well.

Speaking on what sets Gill apart, de Villiers said: “His technique and style is quite simple and basic generally what you say about some of the best players in the world.”

“He is still young, which is incredible because he looks like an experienced campaigner already. We are going to heard a lot about him in the future and in this world cup as I think he is going to be the top run scorer,” he added.

The South African great also termed off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's inclusion in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Australia as a smart move. With Axar Patel getting injured in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, Ashwin has put up a strong case by taking four wickets in two matches so far in the Australia series.

“Unbelievable move. Not so good for the other teams. Experienced, smart, plays the big moments really well. He has got an incredible skill and understands his game with both bat and ball," said ABD of Ashwin.

“He is a great addition to the team I don’t know why he was not there in the first place. I am a big fan, he is always a little bit controversial but he plays to win. He always get a big impact on the game. He loves to have the ball in his hand in the pressure moments, never shy away from big moments,” added de Villiers.

Notably, Ashwin hasn't been included in India's World Cup squad yet which was announced a while back with Axar Patel as the third spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

The last date to make any changes to the squad for the teams without requiring permission from the ICC is September 28, a day after India play third and final ODI against Australia.

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