Success of the year: Under-19 World Cup
Six players, including captain Yash Dhull and vice-captain Shaik Rasheed, tested positive for COVID-19 during the World Cup. Reduced to exactly 11 players (the coaching staff had to serve drinks during breaks), India had to fly out reinforcements – and yet won the World Cup without losing a single match. They have now won three of the last six editions, over the course of which they have won 32 matches and lost four. The domination has been ridiculous.
Dud of the year: T20 World Cup
Since the 2021 T20 World Cup debacle, India approached the powerplay with an aggressive approach, and had rotated and rested key cricketers, with an eye on the 2022 edition. At the tournament, they pulled off a miracle against Pakistan and won a close match against Bangladesh, but were felled by South Africa and were, in the semi-final, blown away by England. The panel of selectors was sacked shortly afterwards, albeit without an official reason.
Heartbreak of the year: Commonwealth Games
Another global tournament – and unlike in the 2020 T20 World Cup, India came close to winning. At one point in the Birmingham Games they needed 41 in 27 balls with seven wickets in hand, but they were bowled out – there were three run outs – to lose by nine runs. Richa Ghosh’s omission from the tournament squad will remain one of the greatest ‘what if’s of Indian cricket.
Badass of the year: Deepti Sharma
The series had been won already. In the ‘dead rubber’, India were bowled out for 169 but reduced England to 118-9. Charlie Dean and Freya Davies then added 35 before Sharma, in her bowling action, ran out Dean at the non-striker’s end to win the match for India. A perfectly legitimate dismissal, but Sharma’s act predictably riled up self-appointed custodians of the Spirit of Cricket around the world.
Moment of the year: That Virat Kohli six
A six like none other, off Haris Rauf during the T20 World Cup India-Pakistan match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Not only was it a shot worthy of the occasion: it was, as the numbers suggest, an incredibly rare stroke – even for the remarkable Kohli.
Debutant of the year: Anjali Sarvani
Until Sarvani, no Indian left-arm seamer had played Twenty20 Internationals for India. She had an impressive series, bowling well at various phases of the innings despite debuting against Australia Women, arguably the greatest international side in cricketing history.
Farewell of the year: Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami
Raj finished with 7,805 ODI runs. The next best for an Indian is 3,322, while the next best in the world is 5,992. For Goswami, the numbers read 255, 141, and 191. The leads are so substantial that no one even appears in the horizon. It seems a miracle that the two played for the same team, let alone for two decades. Yet, they did, inspiring the next generation, many of whom became their teammates.
World record of the year: Jasprit Bumrah
In 2003/04, Brian Lara had hit Robin Peterson for 28 in an over. George Bailey had equalled that, off James Anderson, while a Keshav Maharaj over to Joe Root went for the same, though that included four byes, but 28 remained the most runs conceded off an over in Test cricket.
At Edgbaston in Birmingham, Bumrah, leading India for the first time, emerged at No.10. In the 84th over of the innings, bowled by Stuart Broad, India got four, five wides, a six off a no-ball, four, four, four, six, one – a whopping 35, setting a new world record by some distance. Even if one considers only the runs off the bat, Bumrah got 29, still more than that 28…
Scam of the year: Century Hitters T20
Teams like Chennai Fighters, Gandhinagar Challengers, Maharashtra Rangers, Haryana Warriors, and Palanpur Sports Kings played a cricket tournament in Molipur, Gujarat. It could have been just another tournament – but there was a catch. The ‘cricketers’ were actors hired at ₹400 a day, playing under instructions from the organisers as conveyed by the umpires. The ‘cricket’ was streamed on YouTube with high-definition cameras, crowd noises, and a Harsha Bhogle impersonator as commentator. The purpose was to scam Russian betters through Telegram. The organisers were arrested.
Also read: Ranji Trophy 2022-23: Arjun Tendulkar emulates father with debut ton
Comeback of the year: The Ranji Trophy
Since its inception in 1934/35, the Ranji Trophy had been held – even during the Second World War, when cricket in many countries came to a halt. The run was broken for the first time in 2020/21. The BCCI could still squeeze the shorter tournaments into the schedule as the lockdown began to ease, but arranging 19 four-day matches per round was too Herculean a task. Nevertheless, it returned next year, albeit in a shorter version on either side of the IPL. The 2022/23 edition began less than six months after the previous season.
Read more: Ranji Trophy 2022: Are India selectors finally taking note of Sarfaraz Khan?
Sign of the year: Stadium Full Ticket Over
Following the teams incredible run at the 2017 World Cup, India Women found a steadily increasing fanbase back home. When Australia visited this December, the first two T20Is of the five-match series were held at the 47,000-seater DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Entry was free, and the second match was on a Sunday night - the ground became full. Dejected fans had to return from the gates, where the organisers had to put up the now-iconic four-word sign: STADIUM FULL TICKET OVER.
Saviour of the year: Charu Sharma
During the IPL auction for the 2022 season (at Bengaluru in February, not at Kochi in December – that was for 2023), auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed on the first day. Brijesh Patel, the IPL chair, contacted Charu Sharma, who lived close to the venue. Sharma showed up at short notice and did an impressive job for a day and a half. Edmeades returned minutes before the end amidst loud applause.
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