Virat Kohli among 3 Indians to feature in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year

In a year that had so much drama to unravel and most importantly, the T20 World Cup that proved to be the culmination of all the excitement and unsparing aggression that the players hit their respective strides with, it was obviously difficult for ICC to pick 11 of the finest cricketers who rocked and rolled, and left the world in absolute awe.

Here are the three Indian players who were picked as a part of the prized eleven after a staggering year of excellence and make no mistake, the names are absolutely obvious.

1.    Virat Kohli

Despite starting the year on a reticent note that saw the former Indian skipper struggling, the Asia Cup proved to be the pivot for the big man as he finally got his much-awaited 71st international century. But the show stopper was his innings against Pakistan jn the T20 World Cup where Virat exhibited his nerves of steel as he helped India to walk away with the bragging rights in the face of a sheer collapse. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup  with 296 runs while also finishing as the runner up in the run-scoring charts in the Asia Cup as he dished out 276 runs.

2.    Suryakumar Yadav

A name that strikes your mind at the very first go, SKY was India’s standout performer with an exceptional flurry of scintillating displays leaving the bowlers writhing in agony. Surya became the second ever batter to score more than 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year, at a phenomenal strike rate of 187.43. He was the second-highest run-scorer for India in the T20 World Cup, smashing 239 runs at a strike rate of 189.68.

3.    Hardik Pandya

The return of Hardik Pandya in the international arcade threw countless questions from the Indian fans as the Gujarat Titans skipper didn’t have a decent 2021. However, after a sublime IPL, he returned to the Indian colours and showcased his true class, bringing forth his pyrotechnics in phenomenal fashion. Not only did he deliver some reassuring performances, his exceptional command over his own teammates has now placed him in the run for T20I captaincy. Hardik hammered 607 runs while claiming 20 wickets in 2022 with the starry knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener that got him plaudits raining from corners of the planet.

Here is the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year:

Jos Buttler (C/WK)

Mohammad Rizwan

Virat Kohli

Suryakumar Yadav

Glenn Phillips

Sikandar Raza

Hardik Pandya

Sam Curran

Wanindu Hasaranga

Haris Rauf

Josh Little