In a year that had so much drama to unravel and most importantly, an entire T20 World Cup that proved to be the culmination of all the excitement and unsparing aggression that the players hit their respective strides with, it was obviously difficult for ICC to pick 11 of the finest cricketers who rocked and rolled at their own sweet momentum and left the world in absolute awe. However, names must be taken and ICC did not hesitate in doing so either.
Here are the three Indian players who were picked as a part of the prized eleven after a staggering year of excellence and make no mistake, the names are absolutely obvious.
- Suryakumar Yadav
A name that strikes your mind at the very first go, SKY was India’s standout performer with an exceptional flurry of scintillating displays leaving the bowlers writhing in agony. Surya became the second ever batter to score more than 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year at a phenomenal strike rate of 187.43. He was the second-highest run-scorer for India in the T20 World Cup, smashing 239 runs at a strike rate of 189.68.
- Virat Kohli
Despite starting the year on a reticent note that saw the former Indian skipper struggling, the Asia Cup proved to be the pivot for the big man as he finally got his 71st century and it came against Afghanistan where Virat showed glimpses of his exquisite strokeplay and his nerves of steel as he helped India to walk away with the bragging rights in the face of a sheer collapse against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. He finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup with 276 runs while also acing the run-scoring charts in the T20 World Cup as he dished out 296 runs.
- Hardik Pandya
The return of Hardik Pandya in the international arcade threw countless questions from the Indian fans as the Gujarat Titans skipper didn’t have a decent 2021. However, after a sublime IPL, he returned to the Indian colours and showcased his true class, bringing forth his pyrotechnics in phenomenal fashion. Not only did he deliver some reassuring performances, his exceptional command over his own teammates has now placed him in the run for T20I captaincy. Hardik hammered 607 runs while claiming 20 wickets in 2022 with the starry knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener that got him plaudits raining from corners of the planet.
Here is the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year:
Jos Buttler (C/WK)
Mohammad Rizwan
Virat Kohli
Suryakumar Yadav
Glenn Phillips
Sikandar Raza
Hardik Pandya
Sam Curran
Wanindu Hasaranga
Haris Rauf Josh Little
