Can you name cricketers with the most test centuries? If you are struggling, don’t worry. We got you.
Test cricket is the most challenging format of the sport, and it takes great skill and determination to reach the pinnacle of batting performance. That’s why a century in Test cricket has become one of the most sought-after milestones for batters. In this post, we take a look at 25 cricketers who have scored the most Test centuries. From Sachin Tendulkar to Joe Root, we’ll explore the career records of each and every cricketer who have achieved this extraordinary feat.
So, come join us and let’s dive into the fascinating world of cricketing greatness!
Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38), and Rahul Dravid (36) are the Top 5 batters with most centuries in Test cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar (119), Jacques Kallis (103), Ricky Ponting (103), Rahul Dravid (99), and Shivnaire Chanderpaul (96) have the most 50+ scores in Test cricket.
Sir Donald Bradman (99.94), Steve Smith (59.80), Sir Garfield Sobers (57.78), Kumar Sangakkara (57.40), and Jacques Kallis (55.37) have the highest average for players on this list of most Test centuries.
Sir Donald Bradman (29 – 100s, 13 – 50s)/Younis Khan (34/33), Matthew Hayden (30/29), Michael Clarke (28/27), and Virat Kohli (28/28) have the best conversion rates from fifties to hundreds in Test matches.
Sachin Tendulkar (15921), Ricky Ponting (13378), Jacques Kallis (13289), Rahul Dravid (13288), and Alastair Cook (12472) have scored the most Test runs.
Australia (8), India (4), South Africa, West Indies (3), Sri Lanka, England, Pakistan (2), and New Zealand (1) have produced the most players on this elite list.
Only Steve Smith (30), Joe Root (29), Virat Kohli (28), Kane Williamson (27), and David Warner (25) are the remaining active players on this list.
There were some players that surprisingly missed out:
Notable Omissions: Mohammad Yousuf, Greg Chappell, Viv Richards (24) Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Justin Langer, Javid Miandad (23), AB De Villiers, Geoffrey Boycott, Mohammad Azharuddin, Colin Cowdrey, Ian Bell (22)
Test Cricket Batting Records: Top 25 List of Most Test Centuries
In this Top 25 list of cricketers with the most Test centuries, each cricketer has more than 25 Test hundreds to their names.
Note: To break ties, we went the player with the most 50+ scores. In addition, players with * next to their names are still active in international cricket.
1. Sachin Tendulkar (51), India
Years Played: 1989-2013, Test Matches Played: 200
Total 50+ Scores: 119 (51 – 100s, 68 – 50s)
Average: 53.78
Runs Scored: 15921
Sachin Tendulkar stands at the top of the list with a whopping 51 Test centuries, establishing him as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.
Ricky Ponting is the all-time highest run scorer for Australia in Test cricket, and his 41 centuries have put him firmly at third on this list. Ponting’s career was marked by consistent runs, hundreds in various conditions, and captaincy glory.
Kumar Sangakkara is one of the most prolific batsmen in Test cricket, with 38 centuries to his name. His 90 50+ scores display his longevity and consistency, making him one of the all-time greats.
Rahul Dravid, nicknamed ‘The Wall’, is one of the only few cricketers to have scored centuries in all 10 Test playing nations. His 36 centuries and 99 50+ scores make him one of the most prolific batsmen in history. Along with Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid formed a formidable partnership for India’s batting line up during the late 90s and early 2000s.
Mahela Jayawardene is the highest Test run scorer for Sri Lanka, with 11814 runs in 149 Tests. His batting style was known for its elegance and grace, and he will be remembered as one of the greats of Sri Lankan cricket.
Brian Lara is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. He holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket (400*). His elegant stroke play set him apart from the rest of the pack.
Sunil Gavaskar is considered to be one of the best openers to have ever played cricket. His Test centuries scores speak volumes about his ability with the bat, and he holds the record for most Test centuries by an Indian batsman. He was known for his defensive technique and in a career spanning 16 years.
Younis Khan was a Pakistani batting icon and his 34 centuries speak volumes of his ability. He is the only player in the world to have scored centuries in 11 countries*, and he holds the record for most Test centuries by a Pakistani batsman. His attitude towards cricket made him an inspiration to many young players.
*since UAE/Pakistan both hosted home matches for Pakistan during his career
Sir Alastair Cook, one of the most successful English batsmen in history, has 33 Test centuries to his name. He holds several records for England’s batting performance, including most consecutive tests and most runs scored (until Joe Root takes over, of course). His success is due to his hard work and dedication, which have made him a true legend of the game.
Steve Waugh was one of Australia’s greatest batsmen, and one of the best captains for sure. He was known for his aggressive style of play and determination to succeed in every match.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was one of the most consistent and reliable batsmen for West Indies. His 96 50+ scores speak of his ability to bat long and dominate the bowlers, especially as a lower middle order batter.
Matthew Hayden was a powerhouse of Australian cricket. He was known for his aggressive style of play and ability to dominate the bowlers in all conditions. His Test hundred conversion rate still stands tall in world cricket, and he will be remembered as one of Australia’s finest batsmen.
Steve Smith is a modern-day batting legend, and his Test average around 60 (after almost 100 tests) is one of the highest among contemporary batsmen. His success has been due to his meticulous approach to the game and ability to dominate any bowling attack.
Joe Root is the name that comes to mind when talking about England’s current batting lineup. He has been a consistent performer for England, and his dedication and commitment to improving as a player are admirable. His stellar 2021-22 season has definitely put him as one of greatest batsmen of our generation, if not all-time.
Probably the greatest batsman of all time, Sir Donald Bradman needs no introduction. His incredible average of nearly 100 is a testament to his legendary batting skills and ability to dominate any bowling attack in the world. He was one of the most feared batsmen of his era, and he will continue to inspire generations of cricketers for years to come.
Hashim Amla was one of South Africa’s most consistent batsmen, and his style of play has been a delight to watch. His ability to stay focused and grind out long innings made him an integral part of the Proteas’ batting line-up for many years.
Michael Clarke was one of Australia’s most successful captains, and his batting record speaks for itself. He was known for his calm approach to the game, and he had a knack for scoring big runs when it mattered the most. The way he batted in the double century filled 2012-13 season was just amazing to watch.
Virat Kohli is a modern-day batting great, and his ability to score runs at will has made him one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket. His aggressive style of play combined with his natural technique make him a force to be reckoned with, especially his exploits in Australia, South Africa, and memorable comeback in England.
Allan Border was known for being a gritty player with an eye for scoring big runs, and he was able to do so even on difficult pitches. His contribution to Australia’s success in the 1980s and 1990s cannot be understated.
Graeme Smith was known for his fearless batting, and he led the South African team with bravery and determination. He was able to stay at the crease for long periods of time and score big runs in difficult conditions, making him one of the greatest opening batsmen in history.
Kane Williamson is one of the best batsmen in the world, and his ability to build an innings from scratch and score big runs has made him a star. His calm demeanor and sound technique have enabled him to dominate in all conditions, making him one of the most respected cricketers of our time.
With Ross Taylor, he formed the core of a World Test Championship winning middle order.
Sir Garfield Sobers is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-round cricketers in history. His talent and skill with both bat and ball have rarely been matched, and his ability to control a match with his batting was remarkable. He will forever be remembered for his incredible achievements on the cricket field.
Inzamam Ul-Haq was one of Pakistan’s most consistent batsmen, and he was able to score big runs when the team needed them. His ability to play with power and finesse made him a formidable opponent for any bowler. With Younis & Yousuf, Pakistan had a stable middle order that they had lacked earlier.
Final Thoughts on Test Crickets Greatest Centurions
Test cricket is a game of patience, skill and strategy, and several cricketers have been able to master it.
The players on this list are have scored the most test centuries in cricket history. This indicates the impact they had and the number of the games they changed. Each one has made an incredible contribution to the sport through their individual performances. Their feats will continue to be remembered for years to come as a testament to the sheer brilliance and dedication of these players. Test cricket will always be a game of heroes.
Most Test Centuries – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who has the most centuries in Test Cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38), Rahul Dravid (36), Mahela Jayawardene (34), Brian Lara (34), Sunil Gavaskar (34), Younis Khan (34), and Alastair Cook (33), are the Top 10 batters with most centuries in Test cricket.
2. Who has scored the most double centuries in Test cricket?
Sir Donald Bradman (12), Kumar Sangakkara (11), Brian Lara (9), Wally Hammond (7), Virat Kohli (7), and Mahela Jayawardene have scored the most Test double centuries.
3. Who has scored the most Test centuries in a calendar year?
Mohammad Yousuf (9, 2006), Ricky Ponting (7, 2006), Sir Vivian Richards (7, 1976), Aravinda de Silva (7, 1997), and Sachin Tendulkar (7, 2010) scored the most Test centuries in a calendar year.
4. Who has scored the most Test centuries for India?
Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36), Sunil Gavaskar (34), Virat Kohli (28), Virender Sehwag (23), Mohammad Azharuddin (22), Cheteshwar Pujara (19), Dilip Vengsarkar (17), VVS Laxman (17), and Sourav Ganguly (16) have scored the most Test hundreds for India.
5. Who has scored the most Test centuries for England?
Alastair Cook (33), Joe Root (29), Kevin Pietersen (23), Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Bell (22), Andrew Strauss (21), Ken Barrington, Graham Gooch (20), Len Hutton (19), Michael Vaughan, David Gower (18), and Denis Compton (17) scored the most Test hundreds for England.
6. Who has scored the most Test centuries for Australia?
Ricky Ponting (41), Steve Waugh (32), Steve Smith (30), Matthew Hayden (30), Sir Don Bradman (29), Michael Clarke (28), Allan Border (27), David Warner (25), Greg Chappell (24), Justin Langer (23), Neil Harvey, David Boon (21), Mark Waugh (20), Mike Hussey, Mark Taylor (19), and Adam Gilchrist (17) scored the most hundreds for Australia.
This comprehensive guide provides an in-depth look at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), one of the most celebrated Test series in the cricket world today.
We will discuss the history of BGT, look at some of the prominent players who have played a major role in making this tournament what it is today, including the most runs and wickets. The upcoming BGT 2023 schedule and how they can follow the tournament as it unfolds in India is also displayed.
Key Takeaways
The Border Gavaskar trophy has been held 15 times since 1996, 8 of which were hosted by India and 7 by Australia.
India has won the Border–Gavaskar Trophy 9 times(96-97, 97-98, 2000-01, 04-05, 08-09, 2010-11, 12-13, 16-1)
Australia has won the Border Gavaskar Trophy 5 times (1999-2000, 04-05,07-08,11-12, 14-15).
Sachin Tendulkar (3262), Ricky Ponting (2555), and VVS Laxman (2434) are the highest run scorers in Border Gavaskar Trophy history.
Anil Kumble (111), Harbhajan Singh (95), and Nathan Lyon (94) are the highest wicket-takers in the Border -Gavaskar Trophy.
India has won in Australia twice (2018-19, 2020-21). Australia has won in India 4 times, but only once since 1996 (1947-48, 1956-57, 1959-60, 2004-05).
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a Test series held between India and Australia named after Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. Although India and Australia have been playing Test series since 1947, this series officially began in 1996 when Australia toured India for one Test match. Since then, it has been held every 2-3 years in either India or Australia.
History of India vs Australia Test Series at a Glance
Since 1947, both Australia and India have hosted the Test series on 13 occasions each (26 series total). Both teams have won 11 times each, and the series has been drawn five times. The entire table of India-Australia Test series is summarized below.
*Note that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy officially begins in 1996.
Host
SeasonPlayed
Series Winner
Series Score
Tests
Australia
1947-1948
Australia
4-0
5
India
1956-1957
Australia
2-0
3
India
1959-1960
Australia
2-1
5
India
1964-1965
Drawn
1-1
3
Australia
1967-1968
Australia
4-0
4
India
1969-1970
Australia
3-1
5
Australia
1977-1978
Australia
3-2
5
India
1979-1980
India
2-0
6
Australia
1980-1981
Drawn
1-1
3
Australia
1985-1986
Drawn
0-0
3
India
1986-1987
Drawn
0-0
3
Australia
1991-1992
Australia
4-0
5
India
1996-1997*
India
1-0
1
India
1997-1998
India
2-1
3
Australia
1999-2000
Australia
3-0
3
India
2000-2001
India
2-1
3
Australia
2003-2004
Drawn
1-1
4
India
2004-2005
Australia
2-1
4
Australia
2007-2008
Australia
2-1
4
India
2008-2009
India
2-0
4
India
2010-2011
India
2-0
2
Australia
2011-2012
Australia
4-0
4
India
2012-2013
India
4-0
4
Australia
2014-2015
Australia
2-0
4
India
2016-2017
India
2-1
4
Australia
2018-2019
India
2-1
4
Australia
2020-2021
India
2-1
4
History of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Now we will present each Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series in detail, in reverse chronological order.
Virat Kohli’s 50, Tim Paine’s rearguard effort, 36 ALL OUT, Ajinkya Rahane’s Melbourne 100 & captaincy, Shubman Gill’s emergence, Smith and Labuschagne’s successful partnership, and Pat Cummins doing it all. Siraj suffers but delivers, Thakur & Sundar lead India’s next generation, Ashwin-Paine spice up the tournament, Vihari takes body blows, and the yin and yang of Pujara-Pant gives India series victory and breaches the Gabba fortress.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2020-21: Pat Cummins
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2020-21: Marnus Labuschagne (426)
Note: Bharat Sundaresan is going to release his book on the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy during the 2023 BGT in India. He was in the thick of things traveling to each city and discussing the events of each day with Melinda Farrell.
BGT 2018-19 (India 2-1)
Hosts: Australia
Number of Tests: 4
Venues: Adelaide, Perth (Perth Stadium), Melbourne, Sydney
If you saw the first season of The Test, you will realize what a thorn Pujara was in Australia’s plans. He defended, defended, and defended some more. In the process, he scored tons of runs. Rishabh Pant & Tim Paine provided several cute moments, Nathan Lyon vs Pujara & Pant was mesmerizing. Bumrah’s slower delivery to dismiss Shaun Marsh will forever be etched in memory. To sum it up though, it was Kohli’s captaincy and the fast-bowling revolutionwas key to India’s success.Australia was without the services of Warner & Smith as they tried to recover from the ball tampering scandal, but this does not take anything away from India.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2018-19: Cheteshwar Pujara
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2018-19: Cheteshwar Pujara (521)
Rishabh Pant (350), Virat Kohli (282)
Marcus Harris (258), Travis Head (237)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2018-19: Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Lyon
Mohammad Shami (16)
Pat Cummins (14), Josh Hazlewood (13), Mitchell Starc (13)
Steven Smith’s 109 in Pune – One of the greatest centuries on Indian soil by an Australian batter.
Australia started with a massive win and hope to win a series in India.Pujara scored another double century and a couple of fifties. Beginning to be a pattern, isn’t it? Steve Smith with scores of 109, 178, 111 was at his absolute best, but the Ravis (Ashwin & Jadeja) were just too hot to handle. Other players played decent roles as well. Nathan Lyon took an eight-for and Steve O’Keefe delivered that first win with 6-fers. KL Rahul with twin fifties, Matt Renshaw, Shaun Marsh, Rahane, Wade all contributing as well in what was a competitive series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2016-17: Ravindra Jadeja
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2016-17: Steven Smith (499)
Although India did not exorcise the ghosts of 2011, Team India provided that glimmer of hope. It was Mitchell Johnson’s year and even though he was Australia’s highest wicket-taker, the partnership between Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane will be remembered forever.Just check this clip out.Virat Kohli’s twin tons in Adelaide made for a classic Test and set his career up. But Steve Smith. 769 Runs. Genius. Nathan Lyon. 23 Wickets. Australian legends coming into their own in this series.MS Dhoni surprises with his retirement after the 3rd Test, and Ryan Harris retires after yet another memorable performance.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2014-15: Steven Smith
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2014-15: Steven Smith (769)
Michael Clarke’s unforgettable year, MS Dhoni’s double, and the greatness that Ravichandran Ashwin is.Pujara scored a double as well, and Vijay continued in the prime of his life with 167.But this series will be remembered for Shikhar Dhawan’s glorious 187 on debut, Starc’s 99 at #8, and Steven Smith starting to make runs on Asian soil.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2012-13: Ravichandran Ashwin
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2012-13: Murali Vijay (430)
Cheteshwar Pujara (410), MS Dhoni (326), Virat Kohli (284)
Michael Clarke (286), Ed Cowan (265), David Warner (192)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2012-13: Ravichandran Ashwin (29)
Australia crushes India. Shall I say anymore?A drubbing. A disaster. Michael Clarke smashes 329* and 210, Ricky Ponting averages 108.8 and also scores a double. Hilfenhaus & Siddle take 50 wickets among themselves. James Pattinson announces himself (briefly) on the international stage. Rahul Dravid gets bowled 7 times. An end of an era. Kohli’s 116 in the 4th Test India’s only positive. This tour will always be remembered for the infamous 0-8.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2011-12: Michael Clarke
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2011-12: Michael Clarke (626)
Ricky Ponting (544), Mike Hussey (293), David Warner (266)
Virat Kohli (300), Sachin Tendulkar (287)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2011-12: Ben Hilfenhaus (27)
Short but sweet series. The Mohali Test is an all-time classic. VVS Laxman, back spasms, and a successful chase with the lower order. In the second Test, Tendulkar continued his dream resurgent year with 214 & 53*. In the second innings, Rahul Dravid was yet again going to be demoted from his #3 position for someone else. That someone else turned out to be Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a counterattacking 72. Cheteshwar Pujara—counterattacking Australians since 2010.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2010-11: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2010-11: Sachin Tendulkar (403)
Murali Vijay (176), Suresh Raina (118)
Shane Watson (271), Ricky Ponting (224), Tim Paine (183), Marcus North (141)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2010-11: Zaheer Khan (12)
Harbhajan Singh (11), Pragyan Ojha (9)
Mitchell Johnson (8), Ben Hilfenhaus (8), Nathan Hauritz (6)
Anil Kumble retires at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Ishant Sharma continues his growth with a player of the series performance. Although Hussey, Katich, Johnson, Krezja, and Watson played key roles for Australia, it was clear that Australia was in a transition era.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2008-09: Ishant Sharma
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2008-09: Gautam Gambhir (463)
The series turned out to have both off-field and on-field drama. What began as a great era of Test series from 2000-01 ended with 2007-08 with some questionable decisions and the Monkeygate crisis.Tendulkar still scored runs, Anil Kumble still took wickets, but Brett Lee was the pick of the players in the series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2007-08: Brett Lee
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2007-08: Sachin Tendulkar (493)
VVS Laxman (366), Virender Sehwag (286)
Matthew Hayden (410), Andrew Symonds (410), Michael Clarke (316), Michael Hussey (292), Ricky Ponting (268)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2007-08: Brett Lee (24)
Australia finally breaches the India fortress feat Damien Martyn. A young Michael Clarke, game-changing Gilchrist, and Gillespie all contributed to their effort. India’s spin trios—Kumble, Harbhajan, and Murali Kartik took 60 wickets among themselves but fell short.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2004-05: Damien Martyn
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2004-05: Damien Martyn (444)
Michael Clarke (400), Simon Katich (276), Matthew Hayden (244), Justin Langer (228), Adam Gilchrist (218)
A series for the ages. Ricky Ponting & Rahul Dravid at the top of their games scoring 706 & 619 runs respectively. Dravid’s 233 & 72* with VVS Laxman torturing Australia once again. Sachin Tendulkar resists his cover drive temptation to score 241*, Kumble India’s top performer with the ball yet again, Ganguly scores a ton. Sehwag, Hayden, Martyn, Steve Waugh all among the runs. Gillespie, Agarkar, MacGill, and Lee among the wickets. Something for everybody. Many great players of this era in peak form. Deserved 1-1 drawn series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2003-04: Rahul Dravid
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2003-04: Ricky Ponting (706)
Matthew Hayden (51), Justin Langer (369), Simon Katich (353)
The series that began the rivalry. Steve Waugh’s final frontier was so close, yet so far. VVS Laxman’s greatest innings of the century, the 281, and the partnership turned narrative around for this series and Indian cricket in general. Shane Warne’s expression that day said it all. Sourav Ganguly, the charasmatic captain leading India after the match-fixing era, Sachin Tendulkar doing what he does best (along with his googlies), and Harbhajan Singh being a class apart. India’s top three bowlers in the charts read: Harbhajan (32), Tendulkar (3), Zaheer Khan (3).From Australia’s end, Hayden, McGrath, Gilchrist, Waugh, Warne, and Gillespie all played a role in the series.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 2000-01: Harbhajan Singh
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 2000-01: Matthew Hayden (549)
Steve Waugh (243), Michael Slater (166)
VVS Laxman (503), Rahul Dravid (338), Sachin Tendulkar (304), SS Das (173)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 2000-01: Harbhajan Singh (32)
Sachin Tendulkar (3), Zaheer Khan (3)
Glenn McGrath (17), Jason Gillespie (13), Shane Warne (10), CR Miller (6), Mark Waugh (3)
With the exception of individual performances by India, Australia completely blew the visitors away. Ricky Ponting was the top run-scorer and Glenn McGrath was the highest wicket taker of ther series, two names that would come up time and again over the next decade. Tendulkar was the player of the series, but VVS Laxman’s 167 gave Australia a taste of what they were about to face in the future.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1999-2000: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1999-2000: Ricky Ponting (375)
Justin Langer (289), Steve Waugh (276), Adam Gilcrist (221)
1998—The year of Sachin Tendulkar. He continued his Sharjah exploits in Test cricket. Here is a clip of the battle between Shane Warne vs Sachin Tendulkar in India for the first time. Although Australia got a consolation win, India defeated Australia by healthy margins in the first two Tests.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1997-98: Sachin Tendulkar
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1997-98: Sachin Tendulkar (446)
Navjot Singh Sidhu (341), Mohammad Azharuddin (311)
Mark Waugh (280), Mark Taylor (189), Ian Healy (165)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 1997-98: Anil Kumble (23)
Javagal Srinath (8), Venkatapathy Raju (7)
Gavin Robertson (12), Shane Warne (10), Michael Kasprowicz (8)
Nayan Mongia starred in India’s first Border-Gavaskar Trophy win over Australia. Another key contributor, Anil Kumble, would stand up again and again in the India-Australia Tests for years to come.
Stats
Player of the Series in BGT 1996-97: Nayan Mongia
Highest Runs Scorer in BGT 1996-97: Nayan Mongia (152)
Highest Wicket-Taker in BGT 1996-97: Anil Kumble (9)
The schedule for the 2023 BGT 2023 is shown below:
1st Test, Nagpur, 9-13 February, 2023
2nd Test, Delhi, 17-21 February, 2023
3rd Test, Dharamsala, 1-5 March, 2023
4th Test, Ahmedabad, 9-13 March, 2023
The ODI series is scheduled as follows:
1st ODI (D/N), Mumbai (Wankhede), 17 March, 2023
2nd ODI (D/N), Visakhapatnam, 19 March, 2023
3rd ODI (D/N), Chennai, 22 March 2023
Who were Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border?
Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border were two of the greatest cricketers in history.
Gavaskar was an iconic Indian batsman who played 125 Tests for India, scoring a then-record 34 centuries. He held several batting records and is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever to have graced the game. On the other hand, Border was an Australian all-rounder who captained Australia to their first World Cup win in 1987. He played 156 Tests for Australia and is widely considered to be one of the greatest captains of all time. Together, these two legends were instrumental in establishing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has become one of the most eagerly anticipated cricket series.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was established in 1996 as a tribute to two of cricket’s finest players, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. The series has since become one of the most anticipated events in international cricket, with some of the greatest matches being played between India and Australia over the past two decades. The trophy is contested every two years, alternating between India and Australia, with the last edition being hosted Down Under in 2020-21. The series has seen some of the greatest contests in cricket history, providing for a thrilling and intense experience for all fans.
We will just wait and watch what BGT 2023 has to offer. With all the recent past, I’m sure it will be nothing short of delightful.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was established in 1996 as a tribute to two of cricket’s finest players, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. The series has since become one of the most anticipated events in international cricket, with some of the greatest matches being played between India and Australia over the past two decades. The trophy is contested e very two years, alternating between India and Australia, with the last edition being hosted Down Under in 2018-19. The series has seen some of the greatest contests in cricket history, providing for a thrilling and intense experience for all fans.
When is the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
The next Border-Gavaskar Trophy will take place in February-March 2023 in India. It will consist of 4 Tests and 3 ODIs.
Who has won the most Border-Gavaskar trophies (BGT)?
India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 9 times, while Australia have held it five times.
How many times has India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia?
India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy twice (2018-19 & 2020-21).
How many times has Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in India?
Australia has won the Border Gavaskar Trophy exactly once in India (2004). However, Australia has won it thrice more before the inception of the BGT.
How many times has Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
Australia has won the BGT 5 times.
How many times has India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
India has won the BGT 9 times.
Who currently holds the Border Gavaskar Trophy?
India is the current holder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning away from home 2-1 in 2020-21.
Rain, rain go away, come again another day, little Rashid Khan wants to play. They never got to showcase their whole talent, did they? Ran Australia close with Rashid brilliance in Adelaide, Mujeeb’s Magic Ball, and Farooqi’s swing, some moments to cherish.
2. Australia
Foolish batting vs New Zealand, net run rate drops, never recovered, Stoinis only star, Starc-Cummins drop T20 credentials, Finch nearing the end.
3. Bangladesh
The Tigers were one win away from the semi-finals. That is already a big plus, isn’t it? Nothing was expected from them. Also Taskin’s menace and the elegancethat Liton Das is.
4. England
Double World Champions, shall I say more? The talent that Sam Curran is, redemptions of Alex Hales & Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler’s calm captaincy paves new era for England cricket. England’s message to the whole world – Change or Perish. This is the way to go in T20s.
A script so predictable that is starting to get boring. Virat Kohli’s usual magic, India breezes to the semi-finals, and then packs their bags only to return home. But disappointment aside, That Haris Rauf shot, SKY’s 360 game, and the emergency of Arshdeep is what we will all remember.
Coming of age. The Campher-Dockrell recovery vs Scotland set the tone for this World Cup, Balbirnie led from the front, Stirling with his one great innings, Fionn Hand’s Ball vs Stokes, Tector’s 71, and wins versus West Indies and England. Ireland are big boys now.
7. Namibia
Set the World Cup on fire with a dominating victory against Sri Lanka in the first game. Almost through to the Super 12s with David Wiese’s heroics but unfortunately the long boundaries went against them.
8. Netherlands
South Africa will be scarred forever courtesy Roelof Van Der Merwe’s catch and all-round performance. Consistent bowling throughout, Tim Pringle’s glasses, Max O’Dowd’s class, Ackermann’s assault, eye injury to de Leede, Van Meekeren’s fast bowling arrival, and enough support from the rest of the crew.
They came, they saw, they left from the knockout stageswithout conquering. Same old, same old. Glenn Phillips, Santner, and one innings each of Conway/Allen only positives.
10. Pakistan
Almost a replica of 1992. World Cup down under, lost the first couple, almost out.Then came the Shadab show versus South Africa and they never looked back. Naseem-Shaheen-Haris-Wasim made a potential fast bowling attack that challenged England, but an archaic batting strategy cost them.
The reflection of Rilee Rossouw. 100s or nothing. Dominated Bangladesh & India and lost must win games against Pakistan & Netherlands. Another legendary choke in the books.
Good, but not good enough. Injuries meant they were not even close to replicating their Asia Cup heroics. Hasaranga among the wickets again. But Off-field controversies are not helping.
13. Scotland
Brilliant victory against the West Indies but will be disappointed. Had one door in the Super 12s but could not stop an Ireland comeback. An end of era, retirements forthcoming.
14. UAE
Great bowling attack, some power hits, and one win against Namibia. That’s better than most expected.
15. West Indies
Hetmyer missed flight, West Indies missed on common sense cricket. Crashed out of the first round. Digging themselves in a hole now.
16. Zimbabwe
The team to support in this World Cup, lead superbly by Sean Williams with charismatic Sikandar Raza as their main man. Defeated Pakistan and were close to the semis if they hadn’t panicked in the Bangladesh run chase. Chakaba solid behind the stumps, Ngarava the pick of the bowlers with Muzarabani and Brad Evans other positives.
After the defeat, or ‘thrashing’ India received from England in the 2022 WC semi-finals, fans worldwide were frustrated at another disappointing finish. Here are my honest thoughts for Those Who Care and Run Indian Cricket. An open letter, “Enough is enough.”
Dear Indian Cricket Administrators,
Enough is enough.
2014 T20 World Cup Final. 2015 ODI World Cup Semi-Final. 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final. 2017 Champions Trophy Final. 2019 ODI World Cup Semi-Final. 2021 World Test Championship Final. 2022 T20 World Cup Semi-Final.
9 Long Years. 7 ICC knockout matches. 3 captains. Different coaches. Same result. So close, yet so far.
When India suffered 0-4 losses to England & Australia in the 2011 disastrous Test tours, MS Dhoni frequently said, ‘It is the process that matters.’ The same talks continued throughout the decade.
Process. Journey. Learnings. Yes, learning is good. Making mistakes is good…if and only if, they lead to tangible changes. Not if they result in the same mistakes again.
We have Questions. More questions. LOTS of questions. What is the exact process? Who decides these processes? Because if the same story plays over and over again, and India keeps losing in key moments, then there is an inherent problem with the process itself.
Then the blame game starts. IPL vs internationals. Not able to play in overseas leagues. Injuries. Handling the ‘pressure.’ Retrospective selection debates. Rest & rotation.
Excuses.Enough is enough.
This letter is not to single out individuals, players, coaches, team management, or even the system. I’m not questioning the commitment or the lack of trying. These are professionals, and they try to do their best on and off the field.
Rather, I’m questioning the status quo. The Hero Worship. Administrative bias. Selections and Experimentation. Media leaks. Lack of the winning mentality.
The current England team is doing something right. After the 2015 World Cup debacle, they took some tough decisions. The team of Eoin Morgan, Andrew Strauss, and Nathan Leamon invested in a system that would produce results and backed players that fit their system.
Enjoy the journey. Learn from the process. Keep improving. All this is good, but at the end of the day, results matter. The IPL wouldn’t still exist if it wasn’t a profitable venture. Brazil (5), Germany (4), and Italy (4) wouldn’t be as feared in the soccer world if they hadn’t won that many trophies consistently over time.
You know why West Indies in the 2010s were so good? Because they won World Cups AND had fun doing it. That’s the ideal situation. Process plus results. Why can’t India get there? Why can’t India win both bilaterals and World Cups?
The Power of the IPL and depth of India’s pool of talent—A blessing and a disguise. There is a key difference between gradual progress and stagnation. It is high time that Team India starts converting this golden generation of players and financial power into trophies.
Lost opportunity. Enough is enough.
The fans are just as much as stakeholders in the game as the administrators and players themselves.
One of these days, the confidence in the team might be a disappear. The team needs to start winning world tournaments. That’s it.
And this is not to say that India is a bad team. Not even close. Coming to the semi-finals in almost every competition ten years in a row is no joke. However, the final hurdle is sometimes the most important step. And not getting over that step points to deeper issues.
It’s a well-known idiom to “Hope for the best and Prepare for the worst.” But maybe, just maybe, that is not the right way to go.
Don’t play safe. For once, just go all out. Try something new. Take some risks. Make courageous selections.
Indian fans can live with defeat. What they can’t live with is manner of defeats and making the same mistakes over and over again.
Something needs to change. Otherwise, all that will be left is Broken Dreams.
Because enough is enough.
Sincerely, A Cricket Fan
Thanks for reading this letter on Indian Cricket. Remember to subscribe for more such articles and content
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Ranking Virat Kohli’s best innings is no easy task.
With 71 hundreds, 127 fifties, and countless other important knocks out of his 529 international innings, picking the Top 25 is a challenge. As Roman philosopher, Lucius Anneas Seneca is credited of saying,
“It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness.”
– Lucius Anneas Seneca
Kohli’s consistency and the ability to rise to the top from the depth of hardship is what makes him truly great.
The winning moment at the MCG give cricket fans chills. Literal chills. This match reminded us of Virat Kohli’s eternal greatness. No man has been as dominating of a cricket player in all the three formats. Here is our Top 25 ranking of Virat Kohli’s best innings across T20I, ODI, and Test cricket.
List of Virat Kohli’s Best Innings
All the scorecards and some video highlights are linked for your reference.
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia
Context: Melbourne Cricket Ground. 90,000 crowd. T20 World Cup 2022. India 31-4. Pakistan pacers all over India. The ghost of 2021. The 71st hundred wait. Questions on his form. Mental health break. And then came that innings. Then came that shot—The Shot Heard Around the World.From 31-4 to needing 28 runs in 8 balls to winning the match on the last ball.The chase master is back.The King is back.
Context: A love story begins in Australia. The coming of age for Virat Kohli. Needing to chase 320 in 40 overs, Kohli and co did it in 36.4 overs. Malinga’s figures of 7.4-0-96-1 says it all. The way Kohli handled the pressure, accelerated…this was only the signs to come for the record chaser he was about to become.
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh India
Context: Virat Kohli Mohali innings. India vs Australia 2016 knock-out match. What an innings under pressure. Must-win game. A virtual quarter final. Australia & James Faulkner run into Virat Kohli at his absolute peak. Steady innings to begin with but flourish at the right time. The running, six hitting, and MS Dhoni, this innings had everything.
Context: A glimpse of Virat Kohli, the captain, before he was the official captain. India had never won a Test series in Australia and chasing 364 on Day 5 was unthinkable. Enter Kohli. Centuries in both innings. Aggressive approach. Got India so close, but he was caught on the boundary with sixty runs still to go. India continued their positive approach and collapsed agonizingly short.
5. 119 (181) & 96 (193) vs South Africa, India Tour of South Africa 2013-14
Format: Test
Opposition: South Africa
Venue: New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
Context: One of the great Test matches of the 2010s. Will always be remembered for the Faf-De Villiers partnership as South Africa almost chasing 438 before the draw was announced eight runs short.However, the game was nicely setup by the dominance of Kohli in both innings.
6. 169 (272) vs Australia, 2013-14 Border Gavaskar Trophy
Format: Test
Opposition: Australia
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Context: This match will always be remembered for THAT partnership. Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane smashing Mitchell Johnson’s bouncers. The transition from the Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman era to the Kohli-Rahane era was complete.
Context: 134 runs in 10 innings. Six single digit scores. 2 ducks. And a Jimmy Anderson. Probably the lowest point in Kohli’s career, technically and mentally. To come back in the next tour, score 593 runs, dominate Anderson, and conquer his inner demons is a life lesson for us all. It all started with this 149 in tough conditions.
Context: Some of the best shots you will ever see. Dancing down the wicket, straight over the bowlers’ head, numerous inside out shots.The series will be remembered for the emergence of Kohli-Rohit duo as the next stars of Indian cricket.
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh
Context: The scorecard doesn’t tell you what we all felt that day. Pakistan 83/10 and India won by 5 wickets. Easy, right? Wrong. Due to the comeback kid, Mohammad Amir. Rohit, Rahaneweregone for ducks. Raina soon followed, India 8/3. Then came Kohli’s masterclass, one full of patience, perseverance, and maturity.
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur, India
Context: One of the highest scoring ODI series in memory. Although he was already scoring loads of runs earlier in the series, this chase was the best of them all.
Context: Test matches mean a lot more when the team wins. Although India lost 4-1 in THAT Sam Curran series, Kohli’s 97 & 103 ensured at least one win in the series.
Context: Among his plethora of centuries and fifties, this one is usually forgotten. After 31-2 with both Sehwag & Sachin back in the hut, Kohli & Gambhir’s steady 83-run partnership got India back in the game. Useful, impact knock.
20. 89*(47) vs West Indies, 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final
Format: India
Opposition: West Indies
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
Context: Yet another one of Kohli’s ICC men T20 World Cup classic. After Rohit-Rahane 40s provided India a decent start, Kohli took the mantle to finish the innings off. From 50*(33) to 89*(47), but it was not meant to be.
Context: A Top-25 Kohli series should probably include one of his seven double centuries. A marathon 365 (673) partnership between Rahane & Kohli. NZ were out of the game in the first innings.
Context: A solid knock. India win against Pakistan via Kohil magic, a theme over the last decade. Better yet, India started the 2015 WC well and went onto play the semi-finals despite dismal preparations.
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Context: Known as the ‘Kedar Jadhav match’ who scored a 120 (76) from #6, Kohli held the innings together. From53-4, a 200-run partnership followed between the two before Pandya finished it off.
Context: Not all matches have a positive ending. Although India lost, Kohli dragged India close. The next best score was 40, and India lost by 24 runs.
Context:Things have to begin somewhere, don’t they? Virat’s maiden ODI ton, including a 224-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Rescued India in chase of 316 after they were 23-2 after 3.4 overs.A glimpse of greatness for years ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions – Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Each Format
Other Virat Kohli Content
What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I Cricket?
Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in T20I cricket are as follows: 82* (52) vs Pakistan (2022 T20 World Cup), 82*(53) vs Australia (2016 T20 World Cup), 72*(44) (2014 T20 Worl Cup Semi-Final, 89* (47) vs West Indies (2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final), and 49 (51) vs Pakistan (2016 Asia Cup).
What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI Cricket?
Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in ODI cricket are as follows: 133*(86) vs Sri Lanka (2012), 100* (52) vs Australia (2013), 115*(66) vs Australia (2013), 160*(159) vs South Africa (2018), and 183*(146) vs Pakistan (2012).
What is Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test Cricket?
Virat Kohli’s Best Innings in Test cricket are as follows: 141 vs Australia (2013), 119 vs South Africa (2013), 169 vs Australia (2013), 149 vs England (2018), and 153 vs South Africa (2018).
Should Virat Kohli…be in India’s T20 World Cup squad? Should he not? The burning question in every Indian fan’s mind. Rohit Sharma is getting increasingly annoyed with every press conference (Here are his conferences after the 1st ODI and 2nd ODI vs England).
Virat Kohli has now been rested for the West Indies 5-match T20I series. India’s series against South Africa and Ireland gave a hint of India’s new aggressive gameplay and how the future might look without Kohli. These five games against the West Indies will make it clear, can India survive without Virat Kohli?
Here is my take—Virat Kohli should be in the Indian T20 World Cup squad but as a floater, not the #3 batter.
What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
Several international players have come to Virat Kohli’s defense. Rohit Sharma reiterated that even though each player suffers from ups and downs in his or her career, the player’s quality never reduces. Here are some other reasons why a player like Virat Kohli might be valuable in a T20 World Cup.
Experience matters in a World Cup
Great record across formats in Australia consistently for the past 14 years
Player of the tournament in 2014/2016 T20 World Cups. Single handedly carried India.
Although IPL record is poor, his recent T20I stats have been pretty decent
Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)
One of the misconceptions from Virat Kohli’s bad form is due to all formats getting mixed – Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and IPL. He has horrid IPL seasons and been found out at the Test level at times as well, but in ODIs and T20Is, he has been pretty solid.
In summary, since Dec 2020, Virat Kohli in T20Is has stats:
17 matches, 15 innings, 514 runs, 46.72 average, 134.55 SR, best of 85, 6 fifties, 1 duck
Here are his overall career T20I stats:
99 matches, 91 innings, 3308 runs, 50.12 average, 137.66 SR, best of 94*, 30 fifties, 3 ducks
What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
Now that we have discussed some of the positives, now let us discuss what is on everybody’s mind. Kapil Dev, Venkatesh Prasad, and lots of other cricketers have asked for players to be picked on form and merit, not reputation.
So, is there a way to fitting Virat Kohli in the squad while considering both of these things?
The answer is YES. Virat Kohli can play a similar role to what Steve Smith played during Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup victory run.
Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli
Since India are going with an ultra-aggressive batting approach, there will be volatile days when the team may collapse. Going for 225 everyday, the team might end up collapsing for a score below 100.
In this case, a Grant Elliot-esque insurance policy is needed. For India, Virat Kohli can be that insurance policy (In the current setup, either Dinesh Karthik comes in earlier to do this role or Axar Patel has been sent to delay DK’s entry. In both cases, India lost momentum. Virat Kohli instead of Axar Patel would be the ideal scenario)
Here are some get possible scenarios:
If openers have a blazing start, send in Sanju Samson-Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya, etc. depending on the situation/number of overs left. Push Virat Kohli down the order until absolutely necessary.
If an opener gets out early, still send Suryakumar Yadav in hoping he will continue the positive approach. However, if another wicket falls during this tricky phase, send Virat Kohli at #4 to stem the flow of wickets.
While chasing, if it is a tricky small run-chase in difficult batting conditions, send Virat Kohli at #3.
Another option is to carry him in the World Cup squad without playing him in the XI. In case another batter is horridly out of form during the World Cup or gets injured, Virat Kohli can adapt to whatever role is necessary.
In this way, India will still be utilizing Virat Kohli’s core skills and experience rather than expecting him to be India’s modern T20 #3 batter.
Final Thoughts
Rohit Sharma made it clear in his press conference that each player will be given confidence, especially since India are trying to play with a new approach. Failures will happen, but judgements should not be made based on one or two series.
Based on his recent IPL stats, Kohli should not make it. Based on his recent T20I stats, he should be in contention for the World Cup, but not necessarily a certainty. But based on captain Rohit Sharma’s statements, Virat Kohli will be on that plane to Australia and more than likely, in the XI. So, why not give him our full support as fans?
These were my two cents. I have presented you with both perspectives. What do you think? Which side are you on?
Here is the Quora article that instigated this idea.
In IPL 2022, at least 54 players are auditioning at the moment for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad to board the flight to Australia in October.
Exactly six months to go for the World Cup. Halfway through IPL 2022.
With Dinesh Karthik asking questions and knocking the door down, Deepak Chahar’s injury cloud, and Virat Kohli- Rohit Sharma-Ishan Kishan-Venkatesh Iyer having off years, all permutations and combinations are open.
So how is this going to work? Today, YOU ARE THE SELECTOR. I am going to break up each role (opener, finisher, fast bowler, etc.) one by one and the contenders for that spot. At the end of each section, you can VOTE on your choice for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad.
Why Have India Not Won an ICC Trophy in the Last Decade?
Last time, India won a major ICC Trophy was the 2013 Champions Trophy. And 2007 for their only T20 World Cup Trophy.
Since then, India have lost 2012, 2016 (semi-finals), and 2021 T20 World Cups, 2017 Champions Trophy (finals), 2015 & 2019 ODI Cricket World Cups (semi-finals). Hindsight is 2020, but what were some of the reasons?
Constant chopping and changing in the squads & lack of clarity on player roles (“The #4 Question”)
Selecting/Mixing players for T20Is based on ODI form and vice-versa
Balance of the XI: Lack of batting allrounders in the Top 6 (too many wicketkeepers)
Vulnerability against left-arm seamers/swing bowlers in the first few overs (ex: Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Trent Boult/Matt Henry)
Wicket-taking options in the middle overs (switch from Jadeja-Ashwin to Kuldeep-Chahal and back)
Freak injuries (Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar in the 2019 CWC)
Now that we have established where things can go wrong, let us discuss how to form our XI & squad of 15.
Rather than picking the best 15 players in India, we pick out the best players for each role depending on which position they play for their IPL and domestic teams. The idea is that we should not make an opener a makeshift #5 again.
T20s are now moving to a place where a fluid batting line up is preferred. Instead of being assigned a fixed batting spot (#3,4,5, etc.), each batter has a relative batting spot (top order, accumulator, finisher) and an ‘optimal entry’ based on the overs & match situation (Ex: Send Russell after the 10th over, DK after the 16th over, etc.)
Similarly, Powerplay swing bowlers & specialist death bowlers have separate assigned roles. (Ex: David Willey’s role is bowl a couple of economical overs up front, take a wicket/set tone, and not finish his spell).
Ideal T20 XI
So, an ideal T20 XI needs the following ingredients:
The Top Order (2 aggressive & 1 accumulator who can soak pressure, but also has change of gears)
The Engine Room (3 Finishers – 1 Power hitter, 1 360-Player, 1 Calm-Head/Insurance Policy)
2-3 All-Rounders in the Top 7
Wrist Spinner
Wicket-taker in the Powerplay (Swing bowler)
Death-Overs Specialist
145 kph+ Pace Bowler
Mystery Spin optional
Who Was in India’s Latest T20I Squad?
As a quick reminder, here are the list of players and key performers from the recent T20I series against New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka.
Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have won all of their 9 T20I matches. In these 9 matches, India have had 8 different player of the matches and/or player of the series.
All Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel*, Washington Sundar*
Fast Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravichandran Ashwin
*withdrawn
Also before you check out the candidates for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad, check out BCD’s other social media pages and consider subscribing to our newsletter. It would really help support this website.
Select Your Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad
Next to each player, overall T20I & T20 stats will be displayed along with performance in the IPL after the covid break (IPL 2020, IPL 2021, and IPL 2022 up to the halfway mark)
Each player will also have a symbol:
🟩 Almost certainly plays the first match in the T20 World Cup
🟨 In the Probable 30, but selection in the 15 depends on the IPL and T20 bilaterals preceding the WC
🟪Wildcard Entry:Not in the current scheme of things but might come into conversation as a backup player.
🟧 Future Indian players who can occupy these roles (Lots of youngsters have come to the party in IPL 2022. I doubt they will make the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad, but you never know)
Who are the Best T20 Openers for India Right Now? (Pick 3)
Who are the Best T20 Openers for India Right Now
India have 9 openers vying for 3 spots for the 2022 Indian T20 World Cup Squad. Namely, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, and Devdutt Padikkal. Rohit Sharma & KL Rahul are front runners for the T20 World Cup opening squad (if Rahul recovers from injuries), but Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Virat Kohli are other wildcard options.
An average of 16.28 and no fifties in 6 innings is not the best of Rohit, but remember, he was the player of the T20I series not too long ago. As long he is captain, he boards the flight to Australia as an opener.
2. KL Rahul 🟩
Current Status: Incumbent, Other Roles: Wicketkeeper
Cons ❌: SR inversely proportional to team composition/match situation
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
Although he has century & a fiftyalready (265 runs), it still seems that he has more to offer to reach the heights of the last couple of a seasons. A must have in the T20 World Cup XI.
3. Ishan Kishan 🟨
Current Status: Incumbent, Other Roles: Wicketkeeper
Ever since he was retained by Mumbai Indians for the mammoth price, Kishan has looked a show of himself. He has a couple of 50s and a top score of 81* but at a SR of 116.46, the Rohit-Ishan partnership is just not working for MI at the moment.
Pros ✅: Left-handed; Big match/ICC tournament player; Top form in IPL 2020/2021
Cons ❌: Poor form in IPL 2022; Out of Favor with selectors right now; Rohit-Dhawan-Kohli archaic T20 lineup
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
Not as dominating as before (2nd highest in IPL 2020 & 4th highest in 2021). 214 runs at 30.57 average & best of 70, the consistency is just not there this season. Only one 50 in 7 attempts and a SR of 126.62 will go against his name.
Cons ❌: Inconsistency; Golden Duck in only T20I (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
He is in imperious form in IPL 2022! In 5 innings, with 164.93 SR & 36.28 average, 2 fifties, he is giving the start Delhi needs. Is he a dark horse for October?
Cons ❌: Has Not Debuted in T20Is yet (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
With an average of 19.66 with best of 52, Agarwal is out of runs (and struggling on the captaincy front with PBKS as well). He was in great form in IPL 2020 but has not reached those heights since that mid-season injury.
Cons ❌: Strike Rate; Consistency; Has Not Debuted in T20Is yet (inexperience)
How Is He Doing in IPL 2022?
This might be the breakthrough season Gill was looking for. A vital cog for Gujarat Titans’ dominance. 200 runs already with best of 96. 33.33 Average and SR of 151.51. The two ducks would worry him though.
473 & 411 runs in the last two seasons, DDP has struggled a bit this time around.Best of 41, only 138 runs in 6 innings, 129.72 SR. Might be last resort, but I do not see Padikkal boarding the flight to Australia at this moment.
Other Future India Prospects: Yashashvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat
By Nitesh Mathur, Broken Cricket Dreams, 3/24/2022
Time for IPL 2022! Yep, the festival is back—This time with two more teams. That is right! Welcome Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Kings!
Lot has changed since last time. A massive auction and an end of an era. No Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers and although MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli are still here, they are no longer captains.
Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about IPL 2022 QUICKLY—Squads, Schedule, Latest Injury News, Commentators, History, and Predictions! By the end of this read, you should have all your IPL 2022 questions answered.
Venues: All the matches will be played in & around Mumbai:
Wankhede Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai)
MCA International Stadium (Pune)
IPL 2022 Groups
GROUP A
GROUP B
Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings
Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Delhi Capitals
Punjab Kings
Lucknow Super Giants
Gujarat Titans
IPL 2022 Groups
*Note: Unlike previous IPLs, this is not going to be a round-robin tournament. To keep the number of games bearable, each team will play teams from their groups twice (as well as one team from the other group), and the rest of the team once. So that is two games against five teams and one game against the other four for a total of 14 matches.
Detailed team-by-team fixtures are displayed with each team below.
The big news in this arena is that Ravi Shastri is back in the commentary box after his coaching tenure with the Indian team came to an end. Also joining him are ex-IPL stars like Mr. IPL – Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, and Dhawal Kulkarni
English/Global Broadcast
Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop, Alan Wilkins, Pommie Mbangwa, Simon Doull, Sunil Gavaskar, Danny Morrison, Graeme Swann, Scott Styris, Neroli Medows, Anant Tyagi, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Murali Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, Deep Dasgupta, Anjum Chopra, Nicholas Knight, WV Raman, Daren Ganga, Morne Morkel, Graeme Smith
Apart from these two major broad categories, IPL 2022 will be broadcasted in at least seven other regional languages with marquee Indian domestic cricketers as commentators.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 2009, 2011, 2016 (Runner-Up)
Delhi Capitals: 2020 (Runner-Up)
Punjab Kings: 2014 (Runner-Up)
*Note: Rising Pune Supergiant reached the final of the 2017 IPL (Deccan Chargers Gujarat Lions, Sahara Pune Warriors India, Kochi Tuskers Kerela were the other teams to have featured in the IPL – Now defunct. Also, Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab were the earlier names of Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings respectively).
2022 Indian Premier League News at A Glance
IPL 2022 Injury/Withdrawn List
Jofra Archer was eligible to be in the IPL 2022 auctions. However, he will not be playing this season due to an elbow injury. Watch out for MI in future seasons. Bumrah + Archer will be WOW!
Deepak Chahar is set to miss the IPL with a recurring quadriceps injury.
Anrich Nortje is suffering from an injury but is back with the squad (might not be available right away).
Jason Roy & Alex Hales withdraw due to bio bubble fatigue. Mark Wood is out of the IPL with an elbow injury.
Suryakumar Yadav is suffering from a hairline thumb fracture. He will miss the first match and may comeback soon.
Other IPL 2022 Major News
MS Dhoni steps down from captaincy. Ravindra Jadeja the new captain for CSK. Dhoni will however play as a player for one (or more) seasons.
Moeen Ali gets visa (late) and had to be quarantined. Hence, he will arrive by CSK’s second match.
IPL 2022 Team Availability
Every season, team combinations are impacted by international commitments. Here are the ongoing/future series that might collide with IPL 2022:
Bangladesh Tour of South Africa:Dwaine Pretorius (CSK), Kagiso Rabada (PBKS), and Lungi Ngidi & Mustafizur Rahman (both DC). However, they may only miss one or two matches since CSA has granted leave for Rabada, Ngidi, Jansen, Markram, and Rassie van der Dussen at the expense of the Test series. Read Firdose Moonda’s article explaining Money Matters.
Australia tour of Pakistan:Australian players are not granted a leave till April 6th, which means they will be unavailable for 4-5 matches for their respective teams. This includes Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch (KKR), Sean Abbott (SRH), Hazlewood/Behrendorff (RCB), Marcus Stoinis (LSG), and David Warner (first two matches). Oh and Glenn Maxwell is getting married, so let us leave him alone for a couple of weeks.
England tour of West Indies: Jonny Bairstow (PBKS), Alzarri Joseph (LSG) – Misses first two matches due to the Test series
NZ Tour of England:Starts in June but if their IPL teams qualify for the playoffs, Tim Southee (KKR) & Jonny Bairstow (PBKS) might miss out.
*Note: Netherlands tour of NZ series is also ongoing but NZ have released all their IPL bound players, so there is no conflict.
CSK’s strength lies in their all-rounders and bench strength. Moeen Ali, Jadeja, and Bravo make up the core but even if they sit out, Santner, Chris Jordan, Pretorius, and Dube are adequate replacements.
Weaknesses
Out and out pace bowling. Without Chahar, Adam Milne is the lone spearhead of their fast bowling attack but Deshpande/Asif are a bit inexperienced.
X Factor
Watch out for Devon Conway, or as he is known in CSK circuits—Mike Hussey 2.0.
Chennai Super Kings IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ambati Rayudu
Robin Uthappa (WK)
MS Dhoni (C/WK)
Hari Nishaanth
Narayan Jagadeesan
Subhranshu Senapati
_________________________
Overseas
Devon Conway (WK)
All Rounders
Ravindra Jadeja
Shivam Dube
Rajvardhan Hangragekar
Bhagat Verma
___________________________
Overseas
Mitchell Santner
Dwayne Bravo
Moeen Ali
Dwaine Pretorius
Chris Jordan
Bowlers
Deepak Chahar
Tushar Deshpande
KM Asif
Mukesh Choudhary
Prashant Solanki
Simarjeet Singh
__________________________
Overseas
Adam Milne
Mahesh Theekshana
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne
Balance. Solid top order with Marsh/Axar as allrounders and Sarfaraz Khan/Rovman Powell as the finishers. And with Shardul Thakur here, there is no need to fear.
Weaknesses
Replacements. Warner/Marsh/Nortje/the Fizz will be out for the first 4-5 matches.
X Factor
Watch out for Axar Patel-Shardul Thakur. Could be the Sneh Rana-Pooja Vastrakar type lower order players DC need.
Shubman Gill, 2. Matthew Wade (WK), 3. Wriddhiman Saha, 4. Hardik Pandya (C), 5. Vijay Shankar, 6. Rahul Tewatia, 7. Gurkeerat Singh Mann/Jayant Yadav, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Mohammad Shami, 10. Lockie Ferguson, 11. Noor Ahmad/R Sai Kishore
Strengths
Bowling line-up of envy—Rashid Khan, Shami, Lockie Ferguson, R Sai Kishore.They also bought most of the India allrounders in the last five years (Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Gurkeerat, Jayant Yadav, Tewatia)
Weaknesses
Top order. Without Jason Roy, this is a think looking line up. Pandya-Shankar-Tewatia-Rashid can do wonders once in a while but lot rests of the Gill-Wade opening combination.
X Factor
R Sai Kishore. Consistent performer for Tamil Nadu in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the domestic game. Should finally come off the bench and make his mark in the IPL.
Gujarat Titans IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Shubman Gill
Wriddhiman Saha (WK)
Abhinav Manohar
Sai Sudharshan
____________________________
Overseas
Matthew Wade (WK)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)
All Rounders
Hardik Pandya (C)
Vijay Shankar
Gurkeerat Singh Mann
Rahul Tewatia
Jayant Yadav
__________________________
Overseas
Rashid Khan
Dominic Drakes
Bowlers
Mohammad Shami
R Sai Kishore
Varun Aaron
Pradeep Sangwan
Darshan Nalkande
Yash Dayal
___________________________
Overseas
Lockie Ferguson
Noor Ahmad
Jason Roy* (withdrawn)
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Matthew Wade
New Zealand:Lockie Ferguson
West Indies: Dominic Drakes
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad
The All-Round Package.If fit & in-form, Russell-Narine-Cummins-Venkatesh Iyer will be a handful. And captain Shreyas Iyer is in rich vein of form as well.
Weaknesses
Wicketkeeper. With a long tournament, there are not many keeper options apart from Sheldon Jackson (Indian domestic) & Sam Billings. Fitting them into the middle order might change combinations in the XI.
X Factor
Watch out for Chamika Karunaratne. With Cummins arriving after match 4 and Russell’s fitness never certain, Chamika could be a handy lower order bowling all-rounder.
KL Rahul (C), 2. Quinton de Kock (WK), 3. Manish Pandey, 4. Marcus Stoinis, 5. Deepak Hooda, 6. Krunal Pandya, 7. Jason Holder, 8. Krishnappa Gowtham/Shahbaz Nadeem, 9. Ravi Bishnoi, 10. Avesh Khan, 11. Dushmantha Chameera
Strengths
The first XI. What a team – Pandey/Stoinis at 3 & 4 means KL Rahul can play his natural game. Hooda-Pandya-Holder are adequate finishers/all-rounders and Bishnoi/Avesh Khan/ Chameera strong bowlers.
Weaknesses
Replacement bowlers might be a slight concern.
X Factor
Watch out for Rahul-QDK as the opening pair of the tournament.
Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
KL Rahul (WK/C)
Manish Pandey
Manan Vohra
Karan Sharma
Ayush Badoni
___________________________
Overseas
Quinton de Kock (WK)
Evin Lewis (WK)
All Rounders
Deepak Hooda
Krunal Pandya
Krishnappa Gowtham
___________________________
Overseas
Jason Holder
Marcus Stoinis
Kyle Mayers
Bowlers
Avesh Khan
Ravi Bishnoi
Shahbaz Nadeem
Ankit Rajpoot
Mayank Yadav
___________________________
Overseas
Dushmantha Chameera
Andrew Tye
*Mark Wood (Withdrawn)
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers
The same core as before. Rohit-Ishan-Sky-Pollard-Bumrah.
Weaknesses
The bowling cohort. Unadkat/Thampi are adequate players to come off the bench but not the ideal starters.They will also miss the Pandya brothers.
X Factor
Watch out for the foreign recruits. Brevis was the batter of the U-19 World Cup, Tim David is the hardest hitting Singaporean in the T20 circuit, Fabian Allen’s reputation has gone up in the last couple of years, and a fit-Tymal Mills is a treat to watch.
Mumbai Indians IPL 2022 Squad List
Batters
Rohit Sharma
Ishan Kishan (WK)
Suryakumar Yadav
Anmolpreet Singh
Rahul Budhhi
Aryan Juyal (WK)
Ramandeep Singh
Tilak Verma
___________________________
Overseas
Dewald Brevis
Tim David
All Rounders
Arshad Khan
Sanjay Yadav
___________________________
Overseas
Fabian Allen
Kieron Pollard
Daniel Sams
Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah
Jaydev Unadkat
Murugan Ashwin
Mayank Markande
Basil Thampi
Hrithik Shokeen
Arjun Tendulkar
___________________________
Overseas
*Jofra Archer (unavailable this season)
Riley Meredith
Tymal Mills
Overseas Players (by Nationality):
Australia: Riley Meredith, Daniel Sams, Tim David (Singapore/Australia)
The top 5. Agarwal & Dhawan are perennial Orange Cap contenders, Livingstone-Bairstow are T20 legends, and Shahrukh Khan is the newest finisher in the house.
Weaknesses
Not many Indian batters on the bench if Agarwal/Dhawan were to get injured.
X Factor
Watch out for Rishi Dhawan. He has had a pivotal domestic season.
Bowling line up of Siraj-Harshal-Shahbaz-Hasaranga-Hazlewood is mouth-watering.
Weaknesses
How many games will it take RCB to figure out their best XI, which has been their usual problem. I reckon until Maxwell & Hazlewood come in, RCB might experiment with Anuj Rawat-Lomror-Rutherford.
X Factor
Watch out for Finn Allen. If he gets a chance, just remember his debut 29-ball 71 in a T20I. Also watch out for captain Faf du Plessis. Legendary leader – can he help RCB cross the line?
Kane Williamson (C), 2. Rahul Tripathi, 3. Aiden Markram/Glenn Phillips, 4. Nicholas Pooran (WK), 5. Abdul Samad, 6. Priyam Garg/Abhishek Sharma, 7. Washington Sundar/Shreyas Gopal, 8. Romario Shepherd, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Umran Malik, 11. T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi
Strengths
Umran Malik-Natarajan-Bhuvneshwar Kumar make a solid bowling line-up. Expect Umran Malik to break the speed charts in this edition of the IPL.
Weaknesses
Not convinced with Priyam Garg/Abhishek Sharma at #6. They might be better used up the order with experienced batters to finish off the match.
X Factor
Watch out for Rahul Tripathi.He was the heart and soul of KKR’s run to the final last year and for RPS in 2017.Also watch out for Suchith, the ultimate substitute fielder.
Ravindra Jadeja is the captain of CSK in IPL 2022 as MS Dhoni steps down.
Who are all the IPL 2022 commentators?
Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop, Aan Wilkins, Pommie Mbangwa, Simon Doull, Sunil gavaskar, Danny Morrison, Graeme Swann, Scott Styris, neroli Medows, Anant Tyagi, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Murali Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, Deep Dasgupta, Anjum Chopra, Nicholas Knight, WV Raman, Daren Ganga, Morne Morkel, Graeme Smith head the English global broadcast unit, while Ravi Shastri, Suresh Raina, Aakash Chopra, Mohammad Kaif, Mayanti Langer Binny, Irfan Pathan, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jatin Sapru, Tanya Purohit, Suren Sundaram are the Hindi/English commentators.
Who is the captain of RCB in IPL 2022?
After Virat Kohli stepped down, Faf du Plessis became the captain of RCB in IPL 2022.
What are the two new teams in IPL 2022?
Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants are the two new teams in IPL 2022.
Looking at the events over the past few months—stepping down from RCB captaincy, then giving up T20I leadership to focus on the 2023 ODI World Cup and World Test Championship, and finally relinquishing ODI captaincy altogether to Rohit Sharma—Test captaincy resignation was bound to happen.
We just could not have guessed it would be so soon, especially after the recent success of the Indian Test team.
Today we look at 5 ways how Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy transformed Indian cricket and what holds in his career ahead.
Although India won matches all around, they failed to win a series in SA or Australia (they did win historic series against WI 2006 & England 2007 though).
Phase 2 – The Horror
In the six years of Phase 2, India only achieved 6 victories & 10 draws (out of 32 total). (StatsGuru)
3 Vs West Indies (Kingston 2011, North Sound 2016, Gros Islet 2016)
2 Vs Sri Lanka (both Colombo 2015)
1 vs England (Lord’s 2014)
The 8-0 (4-0 vs England followed by 4-0 Vs Australia) will be forever etched as a horror phase for Indian Test cricket. Whoever watched those two tours, realize the depths of despair Indian cricket was in. (I personally watched every single ball of that 2011 England series…Except for Dravid’s 3 tons, it was a pretty dreadful experience)
When Virat Kohli took over as captain in 2014 from MS Dhoni, India was ranked the #7 Test team in the world. Captain Virat Kohli made an impact right away with his twin tons in Adelaide, the second of which was a heartbreaker.
In order to go for the win, Kohli was prepared to lose. This was the learning phase.
Just three and half years between July 2017 & December 2021, team India won 14 matches away & 3 draws (out of 31 total). (StatsGuru)
9 SENA Victories
2 Vs South Africa (Johannesburg 2018, Centurion 2021)
3 Vs England (Nottingham 2018, Lord’s 2021, Oval 2021)
4 Vs Australia (Adelaide 2018, Melbourne 2018 & 2020, Brisbane 2021)
2 Vs West Indies (North Sound 2019, Kingston 2019)
3 Vs Sri Lanka (Galle, Colombo, Pallekele 2017)
2020-2021 season alone had 5 SENA victories, almost as many as the 2000s put together! And this does not even include the great Vihari-Ashwin draw at Sydney.
Although the 1-2 loss against South Africa dented Kohli’s legacy, the fact that India were favorites in a country they had never won is a testament to his leadership. From #7 to #1 for 4-5 years? Not bad, I say (Watch India getting the ICC Test mace as Shastri interviews Kohli)
The most widely recognized contribution of captain Virat Kohli is the development of a fast-bowling culture in Indian cricket.
If you watched 83, the movie based on India’s 1983 World Cup winning campaign under captain Kapil Dev, India’s first true fast bowling allrounder. In the story, you can see that India were not expected to build fast bowlers. There was no proper system, zero support staff, and the infrastructure was lacking.
Over the years, India started to develop some medium pacers—Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath, (most prominently) Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Agarkar, and Balaji. Although they all had good seasons, except Zaheer Khan, none lasted for more than 5 years.
The Turnaround
After the second coming of ‘unlucky’ Ishant Sharma after his 7-74 at Lord’s 2014, the story changed. Kohli recognized that for India to win overseas, they had to take 20 wickets. For that to happen in the spicy & bouncy pitches, he & coach Ravi Shastri were willing to give complete freedom to his fast bowlers, who were then developed under bowling coach Bharat Arun (and mentored by Zaheer Khan early in their careers or in respective IPL teams).
Fast forward five years, Ishant Sharma cannot even find a place in the XI in the lost series against South Africa. Why? Well, because…
Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world. Mohammad Shami is the king of second innings reverse swing. Umesh Yadav is as good as it gets for a fast bowler in Indian conditions. Mohammad Siraj is a revelation, and Shardul Thakur takes 5-fers and breaks crucial partnerships for breakfast.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Naveep Saini, Deepak Chahar, and T. Natarajan cannot even make the team, while Hashal Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Chetan Sakariya & other domestic giants and IPL stars keep the backbone of the pipeline strong.
In today’s world, if you make the Indian Test squad as a fast bowler, you are the best in the world, let alone India.
Test cricket has been in a self-described existential crisis for about two decades now. For any business venture to succeed, money is needed. To raise money, you need customers.
In the cricketing world, customers are spectators & the spectators have been rapidly dwindling. Oh yeah, and where does cricket get most of its customers? That is right, India.
Indian cricket has been at the heart of cricket’s financial & global growth but with the horror second phase (2011-2016) combined with the expansion of the IPL, Test cricket was at threat.
In comes Virat Kohli.
Interviews after interviews, post-match presentations after post-match presentations, Kohli reiterated his commitment to Test cricket. When the World Test Championship would be under scanner, Kohli would come out in its support.
The wins overseas and watching India play a positive brand of cricket definitely has brought new fans of Test cricket and has re-energized skeptical viewers of the game.
When Kohli was captain, two of his personality traits swept the whole team— (1) Obsession with fitness, and (2) Emotions galore.
With improved sporting infrastructure and rise of T20 cricket, the standards of cricket have improved by leaps and bounds over the past decades.
However, it is captain Virat Kohli who ensured that fitness is an expectation, not just a premium add-on bonus at the international level. He set the example by prioritizing fitness himself and giving his all in the field.
Test cricket is a momentum-based game and Kohli’s momentum shifts with his emotions.
Many a time, Kohli’s enthusiasm lifted India in the field and his encouragement helped the fast bowler channel their best game. Sledging no longer hurt India as they fought fire with fire. His attitude and aggression are often criticized, but as a captain, he usually brought the best in his team.
So, we can say that captain Virat Kohli made the Indian Test team stronger—both physically and mentally.
In limited overs cricket, the constant chopping and changing by both the captain and the selection committee was detrimental to India’s progress. In Test cricket, though, he managed his players rather well.
Although Ajinkya Rahane & Cheteshwar Pujara were out of form for extended periods of time, he continuously backed his senior players. Pujara’s contribution in Australia speaks for himself and Rahane played the occasional match winning innings abroad.
Some may have thought that R Ashwin’s career might have been over a couple of years ago, but credit to both Ashwin’s reinvention & Kohli’s backing, Ashwin is back.
Finally, by mid-2021 Kohli’s machinery was set. The team had a template that they played with, and the players fulfilled their roles in the large machinery created by Kohli-Shastri-Arun-support staff. This allowed the likes of Axar Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar—aka the next generation of Indian cricket—to seamlessly fit in the system and contribute in match-winning ways.
The stats are crystal clear. With 40 wins out of 68 Tests with a win-loss ratio of 2.352, he is not only India’s best Test captain but in the league of Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh.
Captain Virat Kohli might have called it a day, but his mark on Indian Team will be felt for a very, very long time.
Anyway, wipe off your tears. It is not the end till the end.
Kohli the batter still has time and will have the final laugh.
Moments of The Day: Same Story, Different Opposition
This match was similar to the India-Scotland match. Spinners choked the Associate nation, while Rohit-Rahul finished the rest.
Stephan Baard & Michael van Lingen started positively, scoring 33 in just 4.3 overs. However Bumrah and Jadeja soon reduced Namibia to 39/3. Jadeja was good, but the pick of the bowlers was Ashwin for me – The bowled off Green and couple of edges to slips were proper Test match off spin.
Wiese’s 26, along with Frylinck & Trumpelmann’s finishing helped Namibia to a competitive total. Altogether, David Wiese ended up as the fourth highest run-scorer at the end of the Super 12s with 227 runs, best of 66*, average of 45.40 & 127.50 SR. Not bad for someone representing Namibia for the first time.
Since the Afghanistan game, 4 players have had standout performances for Team India:
Jadeja: 1/19, 3/16, 3/15
Ashwin: 2/14, 1/29, 3/20
Sharma: 74, 30, 56
Rahul: 69, 50, 54*
While Rahul & Sharma almost killed the chase with a beautiful highlight package, Suryakumar Yadav was promoted ahead of Virat Kohli. A classic 25* (19) followed including an inside out shot and a pull. When asked later about the move, Kohli responded with, “Surya didn’t get much game time,…, and it’s a nice [World Cup] memory of him to take back.“
Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: The Ravi Shastri Era Ends
Even though India did not win an ICC trophy during his tenure, India made large strides, especially in Test cricket. R Sridhar improved fielding standards all around and Bharat Arun is credited for the rise of India’s fast bowling attack around the globe. Ravi Shastri instilled the confidence which was evident in the home/away England series & the 2 series victories overseas against Australia, especially Gabba 2021 (rising from 36 All Out). An almost 2.0 W/L ratio across formats is unprecedented for an Indian coach.
He also mentioned that not having enough rest between the IPL and the World T20 attributed to not being switched on during crunch situations and pressure matches early on.
In any case, I will leave you with his own quote from today, “Sometimes in life, it’s not about all you accomplish, it’s about what you overcome.” Beautiful.
Have a great journey ahead coach! Whether that is coaching in the IPL or back to the commentary! Would also love to see a more free Virat Kohli.
T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals
No need to go elsewhere for thePoints Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!
Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
