Mumbai: India batter Suryakumar Yadav was named the captain of men’s T20I team of the year announced by International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday.
Three more Indians have also found place in the side. They are Ravi Bishnoi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Arshdeep Singh. However, Deepti Sharma is the only Indian in the women’s team.
The ICC Team of the Year recognises 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed throughout 2023, be it with the bat, the ball or their all-round exploits across the calendar year.
The Indian duo of Suryakumar and Yashasvi were the first picks at the top of the batting order with England’s Phil Salt at the No. 3 spot. Suryakumar was the top run scorer in the T20I format in 2023. He scored 733 runs, which included two centuries, from 18 matches. He also led the Indian cricket team after Rohit Sharma took a break following the ODI World Cup. His last century off just 56 balls had helped India to draw the series against South Africa after going 0-1 down.
A left-handed opening batter, Yashasvi made his T20I debut in 2023 and even scored a century in India’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year. Leg-spinner Ravi, who was a member of the Asian Games team, became the No. 1 bowler in the ICC T20 Bowling Rankings when the year ended. Left-arm pacer Singh also impressed in 2023 with a string of good performances against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies before heading for the Asian Games campaign in Hangzhou.
ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2023: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Phil Salt, Nicholas Pooran (wicket-keeper), Mark Chapman, Sikandar Raza, Alpesh Ramjani, Mark Adair, Ravi Bishnoi, Richard Ngarava, Arshdeep Singh
ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year 2023: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Beth Mooney (wicket-keeper), Laura Wolvaardt, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Megan Schutt
