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The year 2021 for Indian Cricket was like a promise that was left unfulfilled. It started with India conquering the Gabbatoir and ended with the Centurion fortress being breached. But what fell in between were a few good matches to make up for the disappointing tournament losses and quite a few on-field/ off-field controversies. Let’s take a look at how exactly the year panned out to be.
India Tour of Australia 2020-21 (January)
The year started with a historic draw at the SCG on the back of a blockathon from the injured duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari. A week later a second-string Indian team took field against the mighty Aussies at their fortress The Gabba. Saving India from a mid-innings collapse Washington Sundar and Lord Thakur took the team to a respectable total before the bowlers fought back in the 2nd Innings. Despite the fightback the Aussies were able to set us with a daunting target of 328 runs. Normally a team would look to scrap their way through for a draw, but the young guns of Team India had other ideas. On the back of an aggressive Gill, a dependable Pujara and a matured Pant India were able to topple the Aussies and create history. The series score line read 2-1 in favor of India as the entire nation joined in the merry celebration.
England Tour of India 2021 (February - March)
Following India’s successful Australia stint England toured India for 4 Tests | 5 T20I’s | 3 ODI’s. The series started on a slightly disappointing note as England managed a comfortable victory. With vital WTC points at stake India came roaring back and thrashed England on questionable spinning pitches to take the Test series 3-1 and in doing so they also booked their place at the WTC Final which was to be played in June. Continuing their dominant home run India also clinched the closely fought T20 and ODI Series.
Indian Premier League Part – 1 (April-May)
With the Covid Situation bad in India the IPL 2021 started behind closed doors. We saw a few sensational innings and a few close encounters as the IPL extravaganza entertained the country which was going through a very rough patch. But the IPL had to be postponed mid-way due to a few Covid cases in the Bio Bubble. Although it might have led to quite a few losses for the BCCI, the Indian players were able to get a much-needed mental break before the all-important WTC Final.
World Test Championship Final 2021 (June)
A lot of hype was built around the inaugural World Test Championship Final. India was to take on New Zealand in England. The first day was washed out due to rain & on the 2nd day India was put into bat on a green top with the Kiwis opting to go in with an all-pace attack. The Indians found the Kiwi pace quartet of Boult-Southee-Jamieson-Wagner too hot to handle and eventually succumbed on the 6th day of the test (Reserve Day). New Zealand were crowned Test Champions and India had nothing to show for their inspiring performances in Test Cricket during that period.
India Tour of Sri Lanka (July)
With all the Test Regulars in England, the BCCI decided to send a second-string Indian squad to Sri Lanka under stand-in captain Shikhar Dhawan and India’s Future Head Coach Rahul Dravid. All IPL performers were handed an opportunity to showcase their talent at the international level. Indian managed to win the ODI Series 2-1 but with most of the squad being affected by covid India had to field an irregular lineup for the T20 series which resulted in them losing the series to Sri Lanka. This was also the last time Shikhar Dhawan was seen in India colors.
India Tour of England (July-August)
After a month’s break (for the Test team) India locked horns with England in a 5 match Test Series. After a poor performance in the WTC Final Jasprit Bumrah bounced back in the 1st Test picking up 9 wickets across both innings. Despite several good performances India was denied a victory in the 1st Test due to a washout on the final day. India managed to win the 2nd Test and the 4th Test on the back of sensational bowling performances on the final day of both tests. With rising tensions in the Indian camp due to a few of their staff members testing positive, the 5th test was postponed to 2022. India left England in a hurry but are still leading the series 2-1 with the thrilling series finale set to take place in July 2022 at Edgbaston.
Indian Premier League Part – 2 (September - October)
After surviving a COVID scare the IPL resumed in the UAE. This half saw breakthrough performances from Venkatesh Iyer & Ruturaj Gaikwad as a few others made their case for selection in the T20 World Cup. Chennai Super Kings went on to win their 4th title as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in the finals.
T20 World Cup 2021 (October)
India’s performance at the World Cup was abysmal as they were knocked out of the tournament in the group stages after suffering from back-to-back defeats from Pakistan and New Zealand. This was also the last time when Virat Kohli captained Indian in a limited overs match. Australia went on to win their first ever T20 World Title as they defeated the Kiwis in a closely fought Final.
New Zealand Tour of India (November - December)
New Zealand Toured India for 3 T20’s and 2 Tests. Under a new captain and resting their star players India whitewashed the Kiwis 3-0 in the T20 series. New Zealand on the other hand were able to draw the first test but succumbed in the 2nd Test which saw the return of regular captain Virat Kohli. Debutant Shreyas Iyer impressed with a fine hundred in the 1st Test under difficult conditions.
India Tour of South Africa (December - Contd.)
Due to the rise of Omicron Virus and Covid situation in South Africa, India’s tour was delayed for a few days. India plays against South Africa in a 3 Match Test Series followed by a 3 Match ODI Series. Despite an off-field controversy between the ex-limited overs captain and the BCCI President Indian managed to thump South Africa in the recently concluded Boxing Day Test and breach another fortress. The 1st Test saw the return of India’s star players and also the impressive Ajinkya Rahane who was dropped in the previous match due to poor outings. India will look to dominate for the remainder of the series. The 3rd test of the series will also be the 100th Outing for Virat Kohli as a Test Player.
We go into 2022 hoping for better performances from the Limited Overs Side under new captain Rohit Sharma and hopefully end our ICC Trophy drought with the T20 Trophy. India will no doubt continue to dominate in the longest format for years to come but what a true Indian Fan would love to see in 2022 is a King Size Hundred from King Kohli.
That’s it from this blog, we wish you and your family a very happy new year filled with loads of happy memories and nothing else!!
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Awesome blog. Good summarisation of whole year of Indian cricket.