Revision as of 16:54, 21 December 2016

Feb: Tour of Australia

See graphic.

How India’s top three batsmen fared on Oz tour, 2016, in ODIs and T20s; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India Feb 02 2016

August, vs. West Indies: India wins away series

The Times of India, Aug 24 2016

West Indies, 2016: India wins away series ; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, August 24, 2016

India's 500th test match was played in 2016 and it was aganst New Zealand. India won.
[ The Times of India]

Shashank Shekhar  India's four-Test West Indies series finished with the washed-out final Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

PLAYER OF THE SERIES l RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (235 RUNS AT 58.75; 17 WICKETS AT 23.17):

The off-spinner who has always been a capable lower-order bat metamorphosed into a genuine Test allrounder.

Ashwin, the top allrounder in the ICC rankings, delivered with both bat and ball virtually every time the team needed him to. His bonus offering was with the willow -he constructed two centuries in four innings and finished with 235 runs in the series, only 16 less than the highest from both teams -251 by Virat Kohli. Ashwin complied 35 more than the highest anyone from the other camp could manage: Kraigg Brathf waite's 200 in seven innings.

While his first ton, in Antigua, helped the team consolidate its commanding position, his second, in St. Lucia, took India out of a deep hole. He more than justified his promotion to No. 6 in the batf ting order, playing with the attitude of a top-order batsman.

With the ball, he was, expectedly, the tormentor-in-chief, preying on the victims with a heady concoction of turn, dip, flight and subtle change of pace. His 17 wickets in the series, in which one Test was almost entirely washed out, was way more than any other bowler from both sides.

GAINS FOR INDIA MOHAMMAD SHAMI (11 WICKETS AT 25.81):

The pacer made an impressive comeback into the team after 18 months in the wilderness following an ankle injury which needed surgery . His hard work at the NCA before the national callup built him up for the grind.

Shami was brisk and bowled a testing length, drawing high praise from captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble. Pace partner Umesh Yadav said the team had no doubt that Shami would be back in style as he was a bowler with `natural excellence.'

WRIDDHIMAN SAHA (205 RUNS AT 51.25; 9 CATCHES, 2 STUMPINGS):

The wicketkeeper-batsman, accomplished as usual behind the stumps, established his worth with the bat too this time, garnering 205 runs in the series, including a maiden century, which came in trying circumstances in the third Test.

Saha, who grew in confidence as the series progressed, has virtually stamped his name on the wicketkeeper-batsman slot for some time to come. No surprise, his performance drew praise from many former wicketkeepers like Jeff Dujon and Farokh Engineer.

BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR (6 WICKETS AT 9.83):

Bhuvi was another pacer who came back strongly after struggling with injury and form issues in 2016. His surprise inclusion for the St Lucia Test bore fruit when he opened up the gate to victory with a sensational spell of swing bowling on the fourth day. He moved the ball more than any other pacer on show in the match.

INNINGS OF THE SERIES ROSTON CHASE (137 N.O. IN KINGSTON):

The phlegmatic Chase, playing in only his second Test, followed up his five-wicket haul in India's first innings with an innings of such control that it put the established batsmen in the West Indies to shame.At 484 in their second essay and still 256 short of matching India's first innings score of 500, the hosts were gone for good. But Chase's advent changed the contour of the game. He held the innings together and played the rampant Indian bowling like a seasoned pro to lead the team to safety. Chase was on the crease for close to six hours.

PARTNERSHIP OF THE SERIES: ASHWIN-SAHA (213 FOR 6TH WKT IN ST. LUCIA):

India were losing their grip at 1265 in the Gros Islet Test when Ashwin and Saha came together to blunt the West Indies attack on a difficult batting strip.Their 213-run partnership in 71.2 overs gave India a handy first-innings total, leading to a crushing win. Skipper Kohli called it the `most important partnership of the series.'

BOWLING SPELL OF THE SERIES BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR (11.4-6-165 IN ST. LUCIA):

With an entire day lost to rain, the third Test looked like meandering into a stalemate till Bhuvneshwar began weaving his magic in the post-lunch session on Day 4. Playing Test cricket after 18 months, Bhuvi made the ball snake out and snake in to leave the West Indies batsmen groping.

Sept-Oct: India wins home series vs. New Zealand, 3-0

K ShriniwasRao IT'S A ROUT! Oct 12 2016 : The Times of India

India vs. New Zealand series 2016: highlights. India won 3-0 and in October 2016 were the world’s no.1 test- playing side.
The Times of India

Ashwin Finishes With Test Best As Hosts Register Clean Sweep

Ideally , the post-match presentation ceremony at the Holkar Stadium on Tuesday afternoon should have taken place on Wednesday. Given the kind of fight and nerve New Zealand showed throughout this three-Test series, a fifth day finish was expected.

But that's not how things turned out. Some good bowling by India and some poor batting by New Zealand led to a hurried end to the Test a day before the stipulated end. The hosts won the third Test by 321 runs -their second biggest ever by margin of runs -and swept the three-match Test series 3-0.It was only for the fourth time ever that India have clean swept a series that included a minimum of three Tests, and only for the second time since the turn of the century .

Anil Kumble stood with the rest of the team as Ravichandran Ashwin walked up to the presentation area to pick up the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series awards. The coach, avid photographer that he is, kept his camera ready. After Ashwin had finished praising the Indore crowd for their amazing support, he was walking back to join the rest of the team when Kumble asked him to slow down: India's best spinner ever wanted a picture of India's best spinner at the moment.

Kumble would be aware Ashwin is showing serious potential of finishing sometime in the future as perhaps the best ever, and clicked his fair share of pictures.

In times to come, the pictures will remind Kumble of a 13-wicket match haul and a 27-wicket series haul that didn't just make for an emphatic series win but set the tone for a long season at home. After all, Ashwin went past Kumble's own record of three 10-wicket hauls in Test matches on Tuesday, recording a fourth one here.

Of the 13 wickets that Ashwin plucked in this game, the six that came in New Zealand's first innings were a result of some great variations, subtleties in coming from over or around the wicket, control of pace in the air and a lot of patience. It was a lot of hard work through the 27.2 overs Ashwin bowled.

The seven that came in New Zealand's second stint had more to do with New Zealand running out of steam and patience. Kane Williamson was trapped leg-before, Ross Taylor never seemed to know where his off-stump was, Luke Ronchi succumbed to a one that kept low, Mitchell Santner was foxed by a delivery that did not turn enough and Henry scooped one to mid-off before the offie wrapped up proceedings by catching Boult off his own bowling.

New Zealand were clearly giving up and the strain was finally beginning to show. For Ashwin, it was a fairytale ending that should leave him with a great deal of motivation as England arrive. For India, it was an emphatic series win that keeps them the No. 1 ranked Test team. For New Zealand, and for bilateral Test cricket, there are question marks. For a side coming from a completely different geographical background and playing in conditions where most Test teams find it tough to survive, how fair is the idea of playing only a three-match series?

December 2016: India wins home series vs. England, 4:0

On Dec 19, 2016 India recorded its highest score, Karun Nair established records
The Times of India

India won four tests and the series. See also the graphic.

Karun Nair’s unbeaten 303 on Dec 19, 2016 along with strong partnerships with Ravichandran Ashwin, who scored 67 runs, and Ravindra Jadeja, who contributed with 51 runs, propelled India to 759 in the first innings of the fifth and final Test against England in Chennai. This is the highest ever total by India at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. (Live Mint, 19th December 2016, Karun Nair: Key facts about India’s latest batting sensation)

Kohli, the captain, scored 655 and was the man of the series.

Dwaipayan Datta on the last match of the series

Dwaipayan Datta, THE RISING, Dec 21 2016 : The Times of India

Relentless India Offer Glimpse Of Future By Drubbing England 4-0; Ravindra Jadeja Bags 7 On Dramatic Final Day At Chepauk

The sweetest victories are those which are the most difficult to come by . Till the end of the second session on the final day of the fifth Test, a draw looked the most likely result. It all turned around in the next hour, courtesy a magical Ravindra Jadeja (7/ 48) show.

A 4-0 thrashing of England does take away much of the pain that India have endured in the last four years against Alastair Cook's men. It also showed the world that this team is not just about winning on vicious turners -they can do the job on benign batting beauties as well.

Everything indicated to a draw when action began on the final day. Three dropped catches -with openers Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings still at the crease at lunch -increased the chances of the Test ending in a stalemate. But as Virat Kohli later said, they always believed there was a chance because pressure situations can throw up surprises.

It's true that Jadeja was a man on a mission, but everyone played his part. In the last two sessions, every piece of the jigsaw fell in place for India to set up the innings-and-75-run victory .

Kohli was outstanding with his bowling changes. The pacers threatened all the time with some spirited short-pitch bowling and R Ashwin probablybowled the best wicketless spell of his life, keeping the pressure on all the time. It was apt that Karun Nair, whose outstanding, unbeaten 303 set up the victory on Monday, snapped up a stunning one-handed catch off Jadeja to send the English No. 11 Jake Ball back and spark wild celebrations.

The final day was all about Jadeja.He followed the Anil Kumble principle of giving nothing away to the batsman and constantly kept hitting the rough created by the bowlers' footmarks. After Cook's 143-minute vigil was ended by a KL Rahul catch off Jadeja at leg slip, the flutter in the English camp started.

Soon after, Jadeja did a Kapil Dev -think the 1983 World Cup final -when he ran back from square-leg to take a spectacular catch of Johnny Bairstow near the boundary line to send the in-form English wicketkeeper back home. Bairstow couldn't believe it and it was an effort that gave India the belief that they could win it.

Harsha Bhogle’s summing up

Harsha Bhogle, Series win one of Indian cricket's highest points, Dec 21 2016 : The Times of India

When everyone takes a step back, and casts a more reasoned look at the series, they will still be hard pressed to find too many others to match this. Virat Kohli and R Ashwin had staggering series performances and to see two people playing at the height of their powers is exciting enough, but so many others came through, most visibly in Chennai. Two young batsmen, still feeling their way around the game, and in life itself, played commanding innings when the seniors fell early.

I have been hugely im pressed with Lokesh Rahul but a friend he has known since he was eleven -Karun Nair -held on to what might have been his last opportunity like a child does a new toy .

It was a triple century in a Ranji Trophy final that had all of us scurrying to know more about Nair and it was another triple that ensured we will always know enough. Young Indian players are coming through the ranks and, at least in these conditions, look as ready as buyoff-the-shelf products. That tells you a thing or two about the health of the playing side of our sport. Nair was magnificent, his triple only slower than Sehwag's at Multan by a bit. And when Ashwin had a rare poor match, this game never lets you rest on your laurels for too long, Ravindra Jadeja stepped up in style. He has the image of a player who needs a friendly pitch for success but this wasn't his best buddy . It was an Indian pitch, so it would be fair to say there was assistance, but two other finger spinners got 2-397 between them on the same surface. And that catch off Bairstow shows that he is always in the game, just the thing you look for in a player.

India were expected to win in home conditions. But the manner in which they have dominated on tracks that weren't like brittle biscuits, has been heartwarming.

This was Kohli's last game in 2016. He has had the kind of year that few athletes in sport have.He grew many notches and now the challenge is to live up to what he has done. Henceforth the bar for him will be set to what he did in 2016. It won't be easy and so maybe another visit to talk about life and goals with an inhabitant of Bandra that he so looks up to might be the best way to end the year.

See also

Cricket, India: A history

Cricket, India: A history (2016)

Cricket, India: records and statistics