Best India T20I XI from 2022
Team India endured a disappointing year on the whole in the T20I format. Although they won 28 of the 40 matches they played, the Men in Blue suffered crushing disappointment in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.
Nevertheless, several players stood to the task in a year of high-octane matches in the shortest format. While a few veterans dished out memorable performances, other youngsters had breakthrough years to leave a lasting impression.
Here is India's best T20I XI from 2022.
Openers: Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk)
India's T20I skipper Rohit Sharma played as many as 29 matches in 2022, but he didn't make his presence felt. He averaged only 24.29 at a strike rate of 134.42 and notched up just three fifties, with three ducks to his name.
Both he and his opening partner KL Rahul were hugely underwhelming in the all-important T20 World Cup. Rahul averaged 28.93 at a strike rate of 126.53 in 16 matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn't very impressive in the seven matches he played either.
Virat Kohli, who was India's second-highest run-getter with 781 runs at an average of 55.78 and a strike rate of 138.23, slots into this XI as an opener. Partnering him is Ishan Kishan, who was the Men in Blue's fifth-highest run-getter with 476 runs at an average of 29.75 and a strike rate of 127.95.
Those numbers may not make for great reading, but this XI needs a wicketkeeper. Sanju Samson played only six matches, while Dinesh Karthik averaged only 20.5 in 28 T20Is - a far cry from his numbers in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Moreover, Karthik's form dwindled majorly as his international comeback wore on.
Rishabh Pant, too, had a poor year in T20I cricket. He averaged 21.41 in 25 matches. So Kishan makes the grade, partly because of his run-scoring but also because an opener who keeps wickets is exactly what this XI needs, with the middle-order slots all filled up.
Middle order: Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda
Suryakumar Yadav was the best T20I batter in the world in 2022. He amassed a whopping 1,164 runs at an average of 46.56 and a ridiculous strike rate of 187.43. He scored nine fifties and two centuries in a simply sensational calendar year.
Shreyas Iyer was India's highest run-scorer in ODIs and second-highest run-scorer in Tests. He had a productive year in the shortest format as well, amassing 463 runs at an average of 35.61 and a strike rate of 141.15. Shreyas' intent was refreshing as he managed to overcome his technical shortcomings to make a decent amount of runs at a good clip.
Deepak Hooda barely qualifies to be picked in the XI. He played 15 matches, scoring 302 runs at an average of 33.55, but what stands out is his strike rate of 150.24. The batter excelled when he was handed a top-order role, even recording his maiden international century, before a bizarre demotion saw a similar drop in numbers.
It was a tough call between Karthik and Kishan - if the former had been picked, either Hooda or Suryakumar would've had to open the batting in this XI. And while both did play at the top of the order occasionally in 2022, they didn't do enough to warrant moving them out of the middle order.
Samson and Venkatesh Iyer missed out due to sample sizes.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel
Hardik Pandya had an excellent year in T20Is. He put together 607 runs at an average of 33.72 and a strike rate of 145.91, overcoming some sluggishness at the start of 2022. The all-rounder also returned 20 wickets at 8.5 and leads this team.
Choosing between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel was tricky. While the former averaged 50.25 at a strike rate of 141.54 over nine matches, the latter made only 93 runs at a dismal average of 11.62. But Axar played 13 more matches, tilting the scales in his favor. He also scalped 21 wickets, as opposed to Jadeja's five.
Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi
No Indian player featured in more T20Is in 2022 than Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up 37 wickets in 32 matches at an economy rate of 6.98. Arshdeep Singh, meanwhile, was the side's second-highest wicket-taker with 33 scalps in just 21 matches.
Choosing the other two frontline bowlers isn't an easy task. Mohammad Shami played only six matches, while Mohammed Siraj played four. Avesh Khan was expensive and took less than one wicket per game. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur didn't do much. Spearhead Jasprit Bumrah featured in only five T20Is.
So Harshal Patel, purely by the weight of caps, makes this XI. He returned 23 wickets in 21 innings at an economy rate of 9.3, numbers that don't justify his inclusion, but none of the other pacers made a mark. At least Harshal racked up a good run of games.
Yuzvendra Chahal was India's third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, taking 23 in 21 matches at 7.71, but the bite that characterizes his bowling was sorely missing. He also let the team down at crucial junctures. So even though he played 11 more matches, the veteran leggie loses out to Ravi Bishnoi, who picked up 16 wickets at 7.08.
Ravichandran Ashwin scalped 11 wickets in 14 matches at 7.33. While he performed decently, he was called up to the T20I side late in the year and would've ideally liked to be more penetrative along with economical.