Rohit, Pant, Ashwin feature in ICC’s ‘Test Team of Year’ but no Indian in ODI

AGENCY

DUBAI: The flamboyant Rohit Sharma featured as opener, Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper and R Ashwin as the lone specialist spinner in the ICC men’s ‘Test Team of the Year’ but no Indian player was included in the global body’s ODI XI for 2021.
After going unrepresented in the ICC men’s ‘T20 Team of the Year’ due to a disastrous World Cup campaign in the UAE, it was no surprise to see the Indians miss out in the apex body’s ODI side as well after playing just six matches, even as the list featured two players from minnows Ireland.
India, the world number one in Tests, however have three representatives in the year’s best team for the game’s longest format, with New Zealand talisman Kane Williamson as its skipper.
Overall, India played 14 Tests in 2021 and managed to win eight out of them. They lost three Tests last year, including the heart-breaking defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.
Rohit, who was recently elevated as India’s white-ball captain as Virat Kohli’s successor, cracked 906 runs in the calendar year at an average of 47.68 with two centuries.
Both of Rohit’s centuries were memorable knocks in contrasting conditions against England — one in Chennai and the other in overcast conditions away from home at the Oval.
Pant, who established himself as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in all the three formats, scored 748 runs in 12 matches at an average of 39.36 with one memorable ton against England at Ahmedabad. He also accounted for 39 dismissals in 23 innings, with his glovework continuing to improve.
The seasoned Ashwin scalped 54 wickets in nine matches at an average of 16.64, making a big impact in the home series against England and New Zealand. He also chipped in with 355 runs at an average of 25.35, which included a vital century against England in Chennai.
Besides the Indian trio and Williamson, the ICC Test team has one Sri Lankan in Dimuth Karunaratne, one Australian in Marnus Labuschagne, England captain Joe Root, New Zealand’s Kyle Jamison and three Pakistanis in Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi.