Not Virat Kohli or Joe Root! Jos Buttler picks his favorite cricketer from the current era

At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, New Zealand opened the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with a crushing victory over the defending champions, England. The Black Caps made the right call when they won the toss and elected to bowl first, as Jos Buttler's England could only muster a score of 282/9 off of 50 overs. The Black Caps cruised to victory in their tournament opener courtesy of the efforts of opening pair Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.

3 things you need to know 

• Jos Buttler's team lost their opening match to New Zealand 
• England will now face Bangladesh in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 
• Ben Stokes missed the opening match against New Zealand 

Also Read: ICC ODI World 2023: South Africa vs Sri Lanka predicted XI, Weather, Dream11 Fantasy Tips

Jos Buttler picks up his favourite cricketer of the current era 

Among the greatest white-ball cricket players in the sport's history, Jos Buttler stands out. His leadership of England's Twenty20 International (T20I) and One Day International (ODI) squads was crucial in their historic ODI World Cup triumph in 2019. The Three Lions won the T20 World Cup last year, thanks to his leadership once again. The 33-year-old right-hand batsman Buttler has garnered a great deal of praise, but when asked who his favorite modern-day cricketer is, he made a surprising decision.

Though he had the option to pick fellow teammates like Joe Root and Ben Stokes or even fan favourites like  Babar Azam, and Virat Kohli, Buttler said he was a fan of Indian veteran Rohit Sharma. Buttler's decision highlights Rohit's prominence in the cricket world, as he has an outstanding record of 57 Test matches, 170 ODIs, and 109 T20Is for England. Though he hasn't played in a Twenty20 international match since November 10, 2022, Rohit, 36, heads the Indian cricket team in all competitions. Along with being the second-highest run-scorer in Twenty20 Internationals, his latest accomplishment of being the second-fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) further confirms his reputation.

Also Read: 'Almost forgot that I was a cricketer': Rahul Dravid on acclimatizing to the role of coach

Dasun Shanaka and Babar Azam also picked their favourite players

The captains of Pakistan, Babar Azam, and Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka, chose their favourite modern-day cricket players in a widely shared viral video on the internet. Many were surprised that Shanaka chose Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar, 33, who is a member of India's ODI World Cup 2023 squad, hasn't made much of an impression in Tests or ODIs, but he has made a name for himself in the T20I, holding the top spot as a batsman for a year.

However, Babar Azam acknowledged the greatness that New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson brings to the game by naming Williamson as his current favourite cricket player.