2021 was a crazy year in Indian cricket. From the unexpected high of winning again in Australia to an unexpected low of not qualifying for the knockouts of the World T20, the Men in blue had a rollercoaster year. New coach Rahul Dravid took over as old captain Virat Kohli was shown the door. Here are some of the best moments of Indian cricket in 2021.
Gabba's stunning victory as India defeated Australia again
Coming into 2021, Team India were on the verge of a massive series win. The Test series vs Australia was tied at 1-1 after 2 games as the team was aiming to repeat the success down under. In the 3rd Test in Sydney saw, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari along with Cheteshwar Pujara suffered body blows but ensured the match was drawn. In the 4th Test at the infamous Gabba, no one gave Team India a fighting chance but the Ajinkya Rahane led side depleted to the reserves fought hard and breached Australia’s fortress to win another historic series.
Taming the 3 Lions on home soil
England then toured India led by Joe Root gave the home side a reality check by beating them in the very first Test of the series. With their backs against the wall, Kohli's army turned the series on its head and clinched it 3-1. It was followed by the ODI and T20 series victories as the visitors were sent home badly bruised.
Dreams of World Test Championship shattered
After ruling the Test theatre in cricket, Team India got the ticket for the final of the World Test Championship. However, the New Zealand team shattered Virat Kohli’s dream of becoming the inaugural Test in the showdown. The Indian batters were disappointed and the fast bowlers, who were Kohli's pride, failed to deliver.
Kohli's men shine on the England tour
Team India made up for the WTC final humiliation by taking the attack to England in the following Test series. After 2007, the Indian team returned home on British soil with a 2-1 lead in the series. Due to Covid-19 cases in the Indian camp, the fifth and final Test match of the series was postponed, which will now be played next year. During this tour, Team India registered a historic victory at the Lord's and Kohli became only the third Indian captain to do so. The victory at Lord's was also special as Bumrah and Shami smashed the English with the bat and stitched together a crucial 90-run partnership.
Dhoni leads CSK to an IPL title & goes to mentor Team India
After failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2020, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings roared back in 2021. CSK became champions for the 4th time under MSD after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. After winning the IPL trophy, Mahi was entrusted with a big responsibility as the mentor of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in the UAE. However, even Mahi could not change Kohli's fortunes in the ICC tournament.
The horror show at the World T20
Team India had an embarrassing start to their World T20 campaign as Kohli's army had to face defeat at the hands of Pakistan for the first time in the history of World Cups. The arch-rivals demolished the Indian team by 10 wickets. India also went down against New Zealand in a similar fashion and the team which was once considered the favourites failed to qualify for the knockouts.
Kohli vs BCCI: How Virat fell through the cracks
He gave up the T20 captaincy and then according to Virat Kohli, he was allegedly robbed of ODI captaincy. In a fiery press conference before leaving for South Africa, Kohli was at his candid best to push BCCI big wigs including President Sourav Ganguly into a corner. The BCCI & Dada were left red-faced as Kohli travelled to the Rainbow Nation to conquer a series vs South Africa.
Rahul Dravid becomes the new head coach
Ravi Shastri’s tenure as Team India’s head coach also ended after the disastrous World T20. BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee then appointed former Captain Rahul Dravid as the new incharge of Team India. The team immediately smothered New Zealand at home in T20s and Tests but Dravid’s next big challenge will be to get the team ready for the 2 World Cups in 2 years.
