[In Pictures] Highs and lows of the Indian cricket team in 2022
The Indian cricket team’s journey in 2022 ended with a two-match Test series in Bangladesh. While the visitors eased to a 188-run win in Chattogram, they huffed and puffed to a three-wicket triumph in Dhaka in their last international match of the year.
Chasing 145, Team India stumbled to 74/7, but Ravichandran Ashwin (42*) and Shreyas Iyer (29*) featured in a face-saving partnership to lift India to a tense win.
While the Indian cricket team ended the year on a winning note, 2022 won’t go down in history as one of their most memorable years. They managed to register easy wins against comparatively weaker opponents like Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe but failed most of the big assignments.
India end another year without an ICC trophy and plenty of question marks heading into 2023.
With the Indian cricket team having played their last match of 2022, we look back at their highs and lows this year.
Squandering a great opportunity to win a Test series in South Africa
India ended 2021 with a brilliant 113-run triumph in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. They began the New Year with genuine hopes of registering their maiden Test series win in South Africa.
Their dreams were crushed as the Proteas won the next two Tests comprehensively, by seven wickets each. Things got worse as the Men in Blue, led by KL Rahul in the injured Rohit Sharma’s absence, were blanked 0-3 in the subsequent ODI series.
Another golden chance goes begging in Birmingham
After a few easy wins in the home bilateral series, the Indian cricket team headed to England for the rescheduled Test in Birmingham. Rohit was ruled out of the match, this time due to COVID-19. Jasprit Bumrah was named captain.
The visitors recovered from a poor start to post 400-plus in their first innings courtesy of tons from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. India went on to dominate the Test for the next couple of days. However, their batting crumbled in the second innings.
England then chased down 378 in 76.4 overs courtesy of unbeaten centuries from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to stun India.
Pant’s Manchester ton highlights India’s domination in white-ball games
India’s standout performance of the year came during the white-ball series in England. They won both the T20I and ODI series by a 2-1 margin.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed a sensational 117 off 55 balls in the third T20I, albeit in a losing cause.
In the opening ODI, Bumrah’s 6/19 led the Indian cricket team’s 10-wicket rout of England at The Oval. However, the hosts hit back to square the series.
In the decider in Manchester, Pant scored a terrific 125* under pressure to lift the visitors to a famous series win.
Joy and despair at the Asia Cup
The Indian cricket team kicked off their Asia Cup campaign in style, beating Pakistan by five wickets in Dubai. Hardik Pandya’s last-over six lifted the Men in the Blue to a famous win in a thrilling clash.
Pakistan, however, hit back to clinch the Super 4 encounter in another last-over finish.
A below-par Team India went down to Sri Lanka by six wickets to crash out of the tournament, which they have dominated over the years.
Virat Kohli rediscovers his magic wand
The biggest positive for India in an otherwise forgettable year was Virat Kohli's return to form in the white-ball formats. Returning to the game after a short break, the 34-year-old scored his first international century in more than 1000 days, smashing 122* off 61 balls in the Asia Cup match against Afghanistan.
More Kohli magic was in store when the Indian cricket team again came face-to-face with arch-rivals Pakistan. In what was unarguably the knock of the T20 World Cup 2022, Kohli clobbered 82* off 53 balls to lift Team India to a sensational win out of nowhere at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Chasing 160, the Men in Blue seemed down and out at 31/4 after 6.1 overs.
A packed MCG chanting for Virat Kohli 🏟
Raw vision: Behind the scenes of India’s sensational win 📹
Goosebumps.
#T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK https://t.co/MNjmOLKO7r
However, Kohli played some unbelievable strokes and took India to victory in incredible fashion.
Disaster in Perth, embarrassment in Adelaide
Barring the game against Pakistan, the Indian cricket team flopped in their two other big games of the ICC event. Lungi Ngidi (4/29) flattened the Indian batters on a bouncy pitch in Perth.
Suryakumar (68 off 40) was the only batter to stand up to the South African pace challenge as India crawled to 133/9, batting first. The result of the match was a mere formality after that.
India managed to reach the semi-finals, thanks to Super 12 wins over the Netherlands and Bangladesh. However, they were pounded in the knockout clash by England in Adelaide.
Defending a total of 168, the Indian bowlers failed to pick up a single wicket as Alex Hales (86* off 47) and Jos Buttler (80* off 49) confirmed England’s berth in the final with a resounding victory.
Kishan’s fastest double ton gives some joy to deflated India in Bangladesh
A rain-marred white-ball series in New Zealand saw India and the Kiwis share the honors. The Men in Blue clinched the T20Is 1-0, while the hosts won the ODIs by the same margin.
The Indian cricket team would have been hoping to sign off 2022 on a decent note by winning the ODI and Test series in Bangladesh. The hosts, however, had other ideas.
Team India put up a forgettable performance in the ODI rubber, conceding the first two matches from winning positions. As a result, they lost their second consecutive bilateral ODI series loss in Bangladesh.
2nd consecutive ODI series loss for India in Bangladesh. https://t.co/HGYQ6xfsiw
Ishan Kishan, however, gave Team India something to cheer about in the final game, cracking the fastest double in men’s ODI history. Kohli scoring his first ODI hundred since August 2019 was the cherry on the cake.
The visitors went on to clinch the Test series 2-0. It wasn’t a convincing effort, but a rather fitting climax to a year in which the Indian cricket team consistently failed to put their best foot forward.
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