Chances are, if you are an Indian Cricket fan then 2017 could be easily viewed from a unidimensional approach. After all, 2017 had more of Virat Kohli written all over it than one finds gifts on a Christmas eve.
While many of Cricket’s a-list performers including T20 batting sensation Chris Gayle and a man one popularly hails as Cricket’s ‘Superman’ A.B. De Villiers sat out from most competitive games, it were the likes of Australian captain Steve Smith, Indian captain Virat Kohli whose bats did most of 2017’s talking even as plenty of runs were piled on by the likes of exceptionally talented Dean Elgar, Cheteshwar Pujara and, West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite.
But while the batsmen sweated it out and piled on the oppositions’ misery, bowlers too didn’t lag behind with several teams finding their specialists attacking in tandem to command outstanding wins.
So which were some of 2017’s most outstanding team efforts?
1. India winning 37 contests this year
2017 was no watershed moment for Indian Cricket. Winning a series after another, although almost all of India’s sensational unravellings came on home turf- save their encounters at Sri Lanka and West Indies, both of which were overseas tours- the year will be most remembered for Virat Kohli’s sensational captaincy that oversaw some milestones moments earned by one of cricket’s most admired sides.
Whether it was Rohit Sharma’s sensational double hundred; that swirling 208 against Sri Lanka at Mohali or Cheteshwar Pujara’s magnificent 525-ball effort that yielded not just 202 runs but led to a record-breaking 199 run stand with Saha at Ranchi saw India climb a momentous peak. In so doing, Pujara also became the Test cricketer to play the longest inning.
In riling Sri Lanka on their home, only to later roast them back home in India, Virat Kohli’s dominant India produced some stellar Test and ODI efforts courtesy the brilliance of an attack the composed of Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, the former scalping most wickets for an Indian spinner in 2017. Some closely fought T20s against New Zealand also earned India tons of fans around the world and winning 37 out of 53 games this year made 2017 an year of unforgettable achievements for Indian Cricket.
2. Australia beating India at Pune, India
It was a Test match to savour. It was a Test match that gave fans plenty of nervy moments, chills and also, some fun; does anyone remember Ishant Sharma’s bewildering Steve Smith impression?
Usually, Australia defeating India isn’t anything too mind-boggling. Over the course of the last decade or so, blokes with Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson have often toppled a star-studded Indian line up. But the fact that this time around in 2017, there was hardly an experienced campaigner in Australian camp save Smith and Warner- with leading pacer Starc seeming ineffective on a slow wicket (and Watto, Pup all retired)- Australia faced an indomitable India at Pune and still did the unthinkable.
In denting India with a 333 run defeat, Australia found among its talent pool a number of sizeable, measured performances. While neophyte opening batsman Matt Renshaw contributed with a dignified, solid 68 from the very top, the highest individual score in their first inning compilation of 260, it was left arm spinner Steve O’ Keefe whose 6-for proved to be a big nail in India’s coffin. In both innings, Indians failed to score even 110 and with Keefe brilliantly tricking the likes of Kohli and Pujara with his cunning and guile, Indian batting attack was rendered toothless.
3. Bangladesh beating Australia at Dhaka
It isn’t often that an Australia goes down against the likes of a Zimbabwe, West Indies or a Bangladesh. But in producing brilliant 20 run victory over the touring Australians, the Bangladeshis caught a Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell powered Aussie side off guard.
In demonstrating a true team performance, both batsmen and bowlers allied forces to inflict an unlikely defeat over Australia with elegant left hander Tamim Iqbal producing gems in both innings courtesy a stylish, gutsy 78 and 71 from the very top only to see star all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hassan producing a magnificent double 5-for’ in both innings to decimate Australia’s batting line up.
Although David Warner- 112 in first innings and Nathan Lyon- 6-for in the first innings did mount a challenge, Bangladesh’ all round show was too much for the kangaroos to resist.
4. West Indies thrashing Pakistan at Barbados
It was a series that produced a rather soft, emotional narrative seeing the retirements of two of Pakistan’s greatest batsmen in modern era- Younis Khan and Misbah Ul-Haq but eventually, it became a contest where Pakistan found it quite a nasty challenge to crumple the West Indians.
Barbados, often described as West Indies’ fortress on home soil has produced sweltering contests in the past, particularly where the contests of 1998 against India and 2015’s Test against England are concerned.
After crushing the hosts in the first test by 7 wickets at Jamaica, Jason Holder’s men produced the most blistering demonstration of fast bowling at Bridgetown. With leading seamer Shannon Gabriel- also responsible for the infamous mistimed heave at Dominica later that gave Pak a famous series win- mowed down a Younis, Misbah, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam powered side courtesy a sharp 5-11 as Pakistan found themselves crushed for 81 in the fourth innings.
Earlier on, West Indies produced a true team effort with current batting star Shai Hope producing a watchful 90- guarding his stumps against the blazing attack of Mohd. Amir and Yasir Shah; an inning that came quite close to match the exuberance of Roston Chase’ fantastic first inning effort of 131.
But where the rest of the year goes, hapless losses to England and New Zealand have spoiled much of the good team effort that Holder’s men demonstrated at both home and abroad. 2018, it’s believed might be watershed moment for West Indian cricket for their cricket can go in either direction; either foray toward further decay or resuscitate itself from its current state of helplessness.
5. Pakistan beating India in Champions Trophy finals
When was the last time that Pakistan thumped India by a margin as mammoth as 180 runs? Chances are, if you’ve closely followed Cricket’s numero uno rivalry, then you’d find that in the post Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam Ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar era, there have hardly been any occasions where India’s fiercest rivals have thrashed a unit comprising the likes of Yuvraj, Virat, Dhoni and Dhawan.
But this time around, in the much-anticipated and keenly-followed finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the blunt edge of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan discovered they lacked the bite as Pakistan’s belligerent pace attack powered by Mohd. Amir and Hasan Ali crushed India’s top order to hand the Dhoni-led side a 180 run loss at Kennington Oval, London.
With Rohit dismissed for a golden duck, Kohli managing just 5 and, Dhoni managing just 4, India were blunted by an extremity of brute fast bowling Amir and Ali collecting 6 of the 10 Indian wickets. Earlier on, Fakhar Zaman led a brilliant opening assault courtesy a fluent 114 from the very top with the experienced Mohammad Hafeez chipping with a vital 57. To be fair to Pakistan, they defeated India in all departments of the game and the memorable London triumph famously started what’s now conceived as a changing moment for Pakistani Cricket.