New Delhi: On the last day of 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the names of India’s best performers in all three formats of the game. 2022 was a mixed year for the Indian cricket team. The Men in Blue performed well in the majority of the bilateral series but failed to win any multination events.
Suryakumar Yadav made a name for himself by becoming only the second batter in history to score more than 1000 runs in T20Is in a calendar year. The 32-year-old finished the year as the world’s No. 1 T20I batter. Apart from him, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, and Ishan Kishan, among others, have also made the most of chances that have come their way.
The BCCI recognised all of these standout performers for the Men in Blue on Saturday (December 31) by naming India’s best batters and bowlers across all three formats of the game (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is). The cricket board announced the name on Twitter and paid appropriate tribute to them.
Rishabh Pant was named as India’s top batter in the red-ball format of the game, whereas Jasprit Bumrah was declared as the best bowler. Pant featured in all seven Test matches for India and scored the highest number of runs (680). He scored two centuries (against South Africa in Cape Town and against England in Birmingham) and four fifties. On the other hand, Bumrah played five Tests and even captained India against England in July when Rohit was not available. He picked up a total of 22 wickets, which was the most by any Indian bowler.
In ODIs, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj were announced as the best batter and bowler, respectively. 28-year-old Iyer was in stunning form in 2022 and finished as the leading run getter for India (all three formats combined). He played a total of 17 ODIs and scored 724 runs, which was the most by any Indian. Siraj had the most wickets for Men in Blue in 50-over matches, taking 24.
Suryakumar Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the standout performers for India in T20I matches in 2022. The world’s No. 1 T20I batter, Suryakumar, made a record-breaking 1164 runs in 31 matches, whereas India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, picked up a total of 37 wickets.
