Team India's skipper Rohit Sharma and ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah proved their stature in world cricket as the Indian duo has been honoured by Wisden. Rohit and Bumrah's name has been featured among five players in Wisden's 'Cricketers of the Year' in the 2022 edition of the Almanack.
Besides the duo, the list also features New Zealand batter Devon Conway, England pacer Ollie Robinson and Proteas women star Dane van Niekerk. England's Joe Root has been named leading cricketer in the world, while South African women's team batter Lizelle Lee has been awarded the title of leading woman cricketer.
Besides, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has earned the title of leading T20 cricketer in the world.
Bumrah starred for India in their visit to England last summer. Besides his exploits in India's historic win at Lord's, he also produced a match-winning spell at The Oval with the latter handing India a 2-1 lead in the series that is to be concluded in July this year.
Rohit had an exceptional summer at the top of the order for India, scoring 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57. The India skipper scored a match defining 127 at The Oval, his first Test century away from home.
"Jasprit Bumrah was central to India's two Test wins last summer, taking three for 33 on the final afternoon at Lord's, then thrillingly bowling Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow in successive overs to hasten his team to victory at The Oval," wrote Lawrence Booth, editor of Wisden.
"Had rain not washed out the last day of the First Test at Trent Bridge, his nine wickets there might have led to an Indian win, too. In all, he managed 18 wickets at 20 apiece in the four Tests, and scored some unexpected - and crucial - tailend runs," he added.
"Rohit Sharma was at the heart of his side's 2-1 lead over England, and played starring roles with the bat at Lord's, where he made an elegant 83 in treacherous conditions, and at The Oval, where his superb 127 helped India overcome a first-innings deficit of 99," Booth wrote about India's new captain.
"His series tally of 368 runs at 52 was higher than any of his team-mates," he noted.
Root was named leading cricketer of the year after an historic 12 months in which he scored 1,708 Test runs in a calendar year, the third most in history.
Booth was also full of praise for former England skipper Root.
"Root rose above the struggles of England's Test side to produce one of the all-time great performances in a calendar year. His 1,708 runs have been beaten only by Mohammad Yousuf in 2006 and Viv Richards in 1976, and included six hundreds. And he scored his runs in his fifth year as England captain, at which point many of his predecessors had already called it a day," he wrote.
Lee was named leading woman cricketer in the world after a dominant 2021, averaging 90.28 with the bat in ODI cricket, including a spectacular series against India in which she scored 288 runs in four innings.
Rizwan's T20 recognition came after a record breaking 2021 in which he scored 1,329 runs at 72.88 in 27 T20s that included a century and 11 fifties. By passing 1,000 runs in a calendar year, he also became the first cricketer in the international game to achieve the feat.
