Team India under MS Dhoni had a good year in the shortest format of the game. A 3-0 whitewash of Australia in their own backyard, Asia Cup triumph and reaching the semifinals of the 2016 World T20 were some of their achievements in this calendar year and they finished the season with 15 wins under their belt this year.
Here’s a rating for each of them:
Special Mention: KL Rahul-9
He may have played just the solitary game, but what an impact Kl Rahul made in the match, scoring an unbeaten century, which helped India almost pull off a thrilling win against the West Indies in Florida.
Batting
Shikhar Dhawan- 5
The Indian opener had yet another mixed year with the bat, scoring 301 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 117. The Delhi cricketer’s high points came in the series against Sri Lanka where he recorded two half-centuries.
He also played a key role in the final of the Asia Cup, where chasing 121 runs for a win in 15 overs, he made an invaluable 60 that helped his side clinch the title after a gap of 6 years.
However, he did not have the greatest of times in the World T20I and will hope to return and strike form in the England series next month.
Rohit Sharma -7
His opening partner at the top-Rohit Sharma- had a good year with the bat, amassing 497 runs in 18 matches at a strike-rate of 131.48. Starting off the tour of Australia, the right-hander seemed in good touch,m scoring two fifties in the second and third T20I, which helped India complete the whitewash Down Under.
He returned back to the subcontinent and made a fine 83 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, which helped the team post a competitive total and seal the game eventually.
After a poor World T20, Rohit bounced back to form in the T20I series against West Indies in Florida, where he made 62 in the steep chase of 248. Currently recovering from injury, Rohit remains doubtful for the T20 series against England, but will hope to return sometime during 2017.
Virat Kohli-9.5
Without an iota of doubt, India’s best T20I player of 2016. From the very first T20I of the year, Kohli looked in a league of his own, smashing every bowling attack that came in his way and forming the fulcrum of the Indian batting unit.
In the 15 matches that he played in 2016, he made 641 runs at a strike rate of 140.26, which included seven half-centuries. He brought his ‘A’ game to the fore in the World T20, where he made 273 runs in 5 matches, that included half centuries in crunch encounters against Pakistan, Australia and West Indies.
He will look to carry that form into the England series starting next month.
Ajinkya Rahane-4
Rahane’s development as a limited-overs cricketer continued on in 2016 as he once could not set the field ablaze, scoring a mere 102 runs in the 5 matches that he featured in. A majority of those games came in the short series against Sri Lanka before the Asia Cup and the World T20.
He will look to get a lot more chances in the upcoming year and further look to enhance his reputation as a limited-overs player for India.
Suresh Raina-4
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the middle-order was Raina. After being dropped for the ODI leg of the tour to Australia, he returned to the T20I side and made an impact in the final game in Sydney, where he made an unbeaten 49 that helped the Men In Blue, complete a 3-0 whitewash over Australia.
However, things began to go downhill for him soon enough as he failed to deliver in big ticket events like the World T20 and was dropped for the tour to Zimbabwe and also for the series against West Indies in Florida.
He will hope to return in a rejuvenated form for the 2017 season and hope to show some of his past form again.
MS Dhoni-6
MS Dhoni’s record in 2016 can be judged based on two factors- Dhoni the batsman and Dhoni the captain.
The former had very little to do with the bat, but did make some key contributions like in the Asia Cup final, the World T20 group game against Australia and also in the T20I against the West Indies in Florida. He mustered 238 runs in 21 matches at a strike-rate of 149.89.
Dhoni the captain, though had a much more fruitful year. A series win in Australia, Asia Cup triumph, making it to the semifinals of the World T20 and a series win in Zimbabwe meant that India finished with a win% of 71.
He will be back next month to lead India in the limited-overs series against England and will look to start the year off on a winning note.
Yuvraj Singh-4
After a string of fine performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali competition, Yuvraj Singh was recalled to the Indian T20I setup for the tour of Australia and made an impact in the final game, helping India whitewash Australia with some last over heroics with the bat.
However, like was the case with Raina, that was the last piece of action that the southpaw provided with the bat as he had an average outing in each of the remaining series.
He finished the year with 166 runs in 15 matches and will hope to get back into the side once again in 2017.
Bowling
Ravindra Jadeja-5
After being dropped for the ODI series against South Africa, Jadeja made a comeback into the limited-overs squad for the tour to Australia.
However, his returns with the ball continued to hover between okay and good and he ended the year with 17 wickets in as many matches at an economy of 7. With India set to play five Tests at the start of 2017, Jadeja may not feature in the limited-overs series against England and will hope to represent the country and deliver in coloured clothing later on in the year.
Ravichandran Ashwin-7
While he could not match up to his Test exploits in coloured clothing, Ashwin proved to be a key man for MS Dhoni at several stages in the shortest format this year. His performance in Australia, Asia Cup, Sri Lanka series and then in the World T20, where he won the Man Of The Match award in the game against Bangladesh were all crucial contributions and he finished as the second highest wicket-taker behind Jasprit Bumrah with 23 scalps in 17 matches.
Amit Mishra-2
Amit Mishra did not feature in any of the big series and could capture 3 wickets in the sole T20I that he played in.
Hardik Pandya-6
Hardik Pandya provided India with the seam bowling all round option in 2016 and showed glimpses of his talent in a few matches. His moment of reckoning though was during the World T20 game against Bangladesh, where bowling the last over, he picked up two wickets and helped the Men In Blue snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and ensure they remained alive in the competition.
While we can’t still say he has cemented his place in the limited-overs side, he will surely be utilised by Dhoni in the upcoming series against England and he will hope to deliver there and further enhance his reputation.
Ashish Nehra-7
Recalled to the side at the age of 37 for the T20 format, Ashish Nehra gave good proof to all that form was indeed temporary and class permanent. Nehra finished 2016 as the third highest wicket-taker for India with 18 scalps in 15 matches and showed that even at the fag end of his career, he had the knack of picking up wickets.
After getting injured during the IPL, he didn’t feature in any of the remaining games and while he has indicated he would be targeting the England series for a comeback, it remains to be seen if the selectors have him in the scheme of things or not.
Jasprit Bumrah-9.5
The biggest find for India in 2016. Finally, it seemed the Gods had smiled on MS Dhoni for his tireless request for a quality death bowler and in Jasprit Bumrah, the team found a mighty effective bowler, capable of delivering at the fag end of the innings with his precise yorkers.
Bumrah finished as India’s highest wicket-taker in the year with 28 wickets in 21 matches at an economy of 6.62 and proved to be a real asset for Team India in coloured clothing.
Bhuvneshvar Kumar-3
After having a rough time in 2015, Bhuvneshvar Kumar showed a few glimpses of getting back to his best, but could not quite deliver at full throttle in his comeback to the limited-overs format.
Barinder Sran-3
Barinder Sran was impressive on India’s tour to Zimbabwe, where he put in a good showing with his left-arm seam ups and could be in line as a replacement if any of the regulars get injured.
Harbhajan Singh-1
Harbhajan Singh was a part of the India squad from the beginning of the Australia tour until the World T20, but featured in just a solitary game.
Yuzvendra Chahal-1
The leg-spinner travelled with the team to Zimbabwe and played a few matches, impressing with his controlled leg-spin.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
