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.
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