Kohli stamps his class
Madhu Jawali, Dec 31, 2016, DHNS
Looking back Cricket : Test skipper presided over India's rise to the top position with no little help from off-spinner Ashwin
A fan poll by a cricket website overwhelmingly claims that the Indians are the best in the 50-over format, ahead of T20s and Tests in that order. While it might have been the case for the past several years, 2016 comprehensively demolished this trend.
It was a year that belonged to the Virat Kohli-led Indian Test team which not only remained unbeaten in the longest format but also climbed up the charts to affirm its position as the No 1-ranked side in the world. Even as the Lodha Committee and the Supreme Court tightened the screws around BCCI, the performance of the cricket team remarkably remained unaffected in what was one of the most successful years for Indian cricket.
While M S Dhoni’s limited-overs side endured mixed fortunes, the Test unit, which he exited at the start of 2015, grew in strength. The year began with India losing the five-match ODI series 1-4 Down Under before bouncing back in the T20s. India blanked Australia 3-0 to claim their first-ever series win in that country in any format. They returned home and drubbed Sri Lanka 2-1 in the shortest version before going on to win the Asia Cup (T20 format), beating Bangladesh in the final. While a stirring WorldT20 campaign came to a heart-breaking end with the semifinal loss to eventual champions West Indies, the last limited-overs series of the year (against New Zealand) went in India’s favour (3-2).
Whether he was leading the side (in Tests) or not (in limited-overs cricket), Kohli left an indelible mark with the bat. This was the year that saw the impulsive Delhi kid grow into a mature man. He was talked about as much for his batting as for his leadership qualities, making him the poster boy of Indian cricket. A British daily even went to the extent of terming him world cricket’s “biggest star” – a high praise indeed given that the likes of AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, who both incidentally play in the Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, are hugely popular across the cricketing world.
The high point of Kohli’s batting was his seamless transition from the shorter formats to the longer version. He batted with positive intent but refrained from taking risks to stack up three Test double hundreds in a single calendar year. Without the lethal bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin, however, Kohli’s feats with the bat would have dwarfed in significance.
Continuing from where he had left in 2015, the off-spinner claimed a bucketful of wickets to emerge India’s biggest match winner. While he was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball in all the three Test series, which translated into 12 Tests, his contributions with the bat gave a new dimension to India’s batting. The right-hander led India’s lower-order batting renaissance, allowing Kohli to play with five bowlers on most occasions. No one deserved the ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year awards more than Ashwin, who also ended the year as the No 1 ranked Test bowler and all-rounder.
Ashwin was the man of the series in India’s 2-0 win over West Indies in the Caribbean which was also their first Test series of the year. India followed it up with a 3-0 rout of New Zealand at home before the 4-0 demolition of England. Ashwin received more than a handy support from his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja, who in fact outshone the Tamil Nadu bowler in the final Test against England.
The win in Chennai, coming as it did in the final two sessions of the Test, typified India’s ability to win matches on fair pitches. The series triumph had more credibility to it, if they ever needed one. What was also more pleasing was the fact pacers played more than their usual bit in wins at home, combining speed with skills required in these conditions.
The year didn’t just belong to the established stars though. It also saw the emergence of new talents. While KL Rahul further enhanced his credentials as a Test batsman, his skills in the shorter version were a revelation. The Karnataka batsman now has international centuries in all three formats, a feat not even Kohli can claim. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav grabbed more headlines for his batting abilities (he notched up a century against England in the Mumbai Test) while another Karnataka batsman Karun Nair announced his arrival in stunning fashion – a triple century against England in the Chennai Test.
In a happy coming together of Kohli and his former captain and mentor at RCB Anil Kumble as head coach of the team, India achieved the high standards in a very short period of time. The performance has only raised expectations for the coming year.
India’s report card
Tests: Played: 12; Won: 9; Drawn: 3.
ODIs: Played: 13; Won: 7; Lost: 6.
T20Is: Played: 21; Won: 15; Lost: 5; No result: 1.
Meanwhile...
Sun rises for Hyderabad
The remarkable turnaround in fortunes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who at one stage were on the brink of elimination, was the story of the ninth edition of the IPL. Following a disappointing first half of the tournament, skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with a stupendous show to take his team to the final. Unfortunately for RCB, they once again faltered in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The David Warner-inspired side was benefited by consistent performances from youngster Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and they capped off a fine campaign by clinching the title.
Dravid leaves his impression
Under new coach Rahul Dravid, the Indian colts had a memorable year. India came close to lifting the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh but their fine run ended in a defeat to the West Indies in the final. Despite finishing second, India had lot of positives with Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan emerging as future prospects. The Indians however drew curtains to the year on a high, by lifting the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. The Abhishek Sharma-captained side defeated the hosts by 34 runs in the final.
Mixed year for women
The Indian women’s team created history by winning their first bilateral series victory over Australia. Mithali Raj’s team exhibited great team work to beat Australia in their den 2-1. Their success in Australia made them a team to watch out for in the World T20 in India but the hosts produced a dismal performance to crash out in the group stages. However, India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 17 runs in the final to defend their Asia Cup crown and sign off the year on a high. There were positives on the individual front as well with all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur signing up for Sydney Thunder while opener Smriti Mandhana being roped in by Birsbane Heat for the women’s Big Bash League. Smriti was also the only Indian to make it to the ICC Women’s Team of the Year.
(Compiled by Vivek MV)
It was a year that belonged to the Virat Kohli-led Indian Test team which not only remained unbeaten in the longest format but also climbed up the charts to affirm its position as the No 1-ranked side in the world. Even as the Lodha Committee and the Supreme Court tightened the screws around BCCI, the performance of the cricket team remarkably remained unaffected in what was one of the most successful years for Indian cricket.
While M S Dhoni’s limited-overs side endured mixed fortunes, the Test unit, which he exited at the start of 2015, grew in strength. The year began with India losing the five-match ODI series 1-4 Down Under before bouncing back in the T20s. India blanked Australia 3-0 to claim their first-ever series win in that country in any format. They returned home and drubbed Sri Lanka 2-1 in the shortest version before going on to win the Asia Cup (T20 format), beating Bangladesh in the final. While a stirring WorldT20 campaign came to a heart-breaking end with the semifinal loss to eventual champions West Indies, the last limited-overs series of the year (against New Zealand) went in India’s favour (3-2).
Whether he was leading the side (in Tests) or not (in limited-overs cricket), Kohli left an indelible mark with the bat. This was the year that saw the impulsive Delhi kid grow into a mature man. He was talked about as much for his batting as for his leadership qualities, making him the poster boy of Indian cricket. A British daily even went to the extent of terming him world cricket’s “biggest star” – a high praise indeed given that the likes of AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, who both incidentally play in the Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, are hugely popular across the cricketing world.
The high point of Kohli’s batting was his seamless transition from the shorter formats to the longer version. He batted with positive intent but refrained from taking risks to stack up three Test double hundreds in a single calendar year. Without the lethal bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin, however, Kohli’s feats with the bat would have dwarfed in significance.
Continuing from where he had left in 2015, the off-spinner claimed a bucketful of wickets to emerge India’s biggest match winner. While he was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball in all the three Test series, which translated into 12 Tests, his contributions with the bat gave a new dimension to India’s batting. The right-hander led India’s lower-order batting renaissance, allowing Kohli to play with five bowlers on most occasions. No one deserved the ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year awards more than Ashwin, who also ended the year as the No 1 ranked Test bowler and all-rounder.
Ashwin was the man of the series in India’s 2-0 win over West Indies in the Caribbean which was also their first Test series of the year. India followed it up with a 3-0 rout of New Zealand at home before the 4-0 demolition of England. Ashwin received more than a handy support from his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja, who in fact outshone the Tamil Nadu bowler in the final Test against England.
The win in Chennai, coming as it did in the final two sessions of the Test, typified India’s ability to win matches on fair pitches. The series triumph had more credibility to it, if they ever needed one. What was also more pleasing was the fact pacers played more than their usual bit in wins at home, combining speed with skills required in these conditions.
The year didn’t just belong to the established stars though. It also saw the emergence of new talents. While KL Rahul further enhanced his credentials as a Test batsman, his skills in the shorter version were a revelation. The Karnataka batsman now has international centuries in all three formats, a feat not even Kohli can claim. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav grabbed more headlines for his batting abilities (he notched up a century against England in the Mumbai Test) while another Karnataka batsman Karun Nair announced his arrival in stunning fashion – a triple century against England in the Chennai Test.
In a happy coming together of Kohli and his former captain and mentor at RCB Anil Kumble as head coach of the team, India achieved the high standards in a very short period of time. The performance has only raised expectations for the coming year.
India’s report card
Tests: Played: 12; Won: 9; Drawn: 3.
ODIs: Played: 13; Won: 7; Lost: 6.
T20Is: Played: 21; Won: 15; Lost: 5; No result: 1.
Meanwhile...
Sun rises for Hyderabad
The remarkable turnaround in fortunes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who at one stage were on the brink of elimination, was the story of the ninth edition of the IPL. Following a disappointing first half of the tournament, skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with a stupendous show to take his team to the final. Unfortunately for RCB, they once again faltered in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The David Warner-inspired side was benefited by consistent performances from youngster Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and they capped off a fine campaign by clinching the title.
Dravid leaves his impression
Under new coach Rahul Dravid, the Indian colts had a memorable year. India came close to lifting the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh but their fine run ended in a defeat to the West Indies in the final. Despite finishing second, India had lot of positives with Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan emerging as future prospects. The Indians however drew curtains to the year on a high, by lifting the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. The Abhishek Sharma-captained side defeated the hosts by 34 runs in the final.
Mixed year for women
The Indian women’s team created history by winning their first bilateral series victory over Australia. Mithali Raj’s team exhibited great team work to beat Australia in their den 2-1. Their success in Australia made them a team to watch out for in the World T20 in India but the hosts produced a dismal performance to crash out in the group stages. However, India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 17 runs in the final to defend their Asia Cup crown and sign off the year on a high. There were positives on the individual front as well with all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur signing up for Sydney Thunder while opener Smriti Mandhana being roped in by Birsbane Heat for the women’s Big Bash League. Smriti was also the only Indian to make it to the ICC Women’s Team of the Year.
(Compiled by Vivek MV)
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