After going unrepresented in the men’s ODI and T20I teams; India’s Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin have been named in the ICC Test Team of the Year 2021 that was announced on Thursday. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson has been named as the captain of the side. (More Cricket News)
The squad also includes three players from Pakistan, two from New Zealand including Williamson, and one each from England, Australia and Sri Lanka. Pant’s selection has been as the wicketkeeper of the side.
Overall, India played 14 Tests in 2021 and managed to win eight out of them. They lost three Tests last year, including the heartbreaking defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. India are currently the number one Test team in the world.
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Rohit’s rise as an opener has been meteoric. The right-hander cracked 906 runs in the calendar year with two centuries coming in two different situations. Both his centuries were against England – one at home in Chennai and the other in the overcast conditions at the Oval.
Pant has slowly established himself as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, especially in Tests. The southpaw who plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, scored 748 runs in 12 matches at an average of 39.36 with one memorable ton against England at Ahmedabad.
Pant has also accounted for 39 dismissals in 23 innings, with his glovework continuing to improve. For Ashwin, he deserves a place in every captain’s playing XI. Not just his Ashwin bamboozled several batsmen with his sheer wizardry, Ashwin’s ability to score runs down the order gives him a slight edge against the others.
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Ashwin scalped up 54 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 16.64 making a big impact in the home series against England and New Zealand. He also chipped in with 355 runs at an average of 25.35, which included a vital century against England in Chennai.
Besides Rohit, Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne is the other opener in the side. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, England captain Joe Root and Williamson form the middle-order followed by Pakistan’s Fawad Alam and Pant at No.6 and 7.
Ashwin is the lone specialist spinner in the side while the three pacers are in the form of New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson and Pakistan’s dangerous duo of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
After going unrepresented in the ICC Men's 'T20 Team of the Year 2021' due to a disastrous World Cup campaign in the UAE, it was no surprise to see the Indians miss out in the apex body's ODI side as well after playing just six matches, even as the list featured two players from minnows Ireland.
