The Indian Test cricket team saw both ends of the spectrum in the year 2023. Where they relished the Asia Cup 2023 title triumph, they also suffered the ODI World Cup final heartbreak. Under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, the team concluded the year's final Test match against South Africa with a defeat by an innings and 32 runs. Although India secured Test series victories against Australia and the West Indies, they suffered a loss in the World Test Championship final against Pat Cummins' team. Virat Kohli stood out in individual performances, leading as the top run-scorer for the team with 671 runs from 12 innings, averaging 55.91. After scoring 76 in the second innings of the first Test against South Africa, Kohli finished the year with two centuries and an equal number of half-centuries.
In bowling, Ravichandran Ashwin led with 41 wickets, with Ravindra Jadeja taking 33 wickets.
As 2023's Test cricket concluded with the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan, renowned cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle compiled his Test team of the year.
In a video posted by Cricbuzz, Harsha Bhogle selected his picks for the Test team of the year.
Bhogle chose Australia's Usman Khawaja and England's Zak Crawley as the opening batsmen. Khawaja notched up 1210 runs across 12 matches, including three centuries and six half-centuries. Crawley, on the other hand, accumulated over 600 runs in eight matches, with a tally that included one century and three fifties.
For the middle order, Bhogle selected New Zealand's Kane Williamson, along with England's Joe Root and Harry Brook. Williamson, the former New Zealand captain, scored 695 runs in seven matches. Root and Brook both surpassed the 700-run mark, each playing eight matches.
New Zealand's Tom Blundell was Bhogle's choice for the wicketkeeper's position.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja made it to Bhogle's team as all-rounders.
In terms of bowling, Bhogle opted for Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, and England's Stuart Broad, who had earlier announced his retirement. Notably absent from Bhogle's selection were Indian players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Mohammed Shami, with only two Indians featuring in the XI.
This is how Harsha Bhogle's Test Team of 2023 looks like:
Kane Williamson, Usman Khawaja, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Harry Brook, Ravindra Jadeja, Tom Blundell, R Ashwin, Stuart Broad, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.
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