2018 Review: Top Performers

Another year in the cricketing calendar is firmly in the rear-view mirror and there were a lot of phenomenal feats in 2018. Some players enhanced their already stupendous achievements while others addressed the gaps in their CV. Some young players put their hand up to show that they had it in them to become the greats of the game, while there were some whose performances turned out to be a damp squib. There were a total of 48 Tests, 128 ODIs and 81 T20Is played in 2018 and in this podcast we look at the top performers in all 3 formats.

Tests

Virat Kohli- T-13, Runs-1322, Batt Ave- 55.08, 100s/50s-5/5

While Kohli had already etched his name in the pantheon of all-time greats in ODIs, but there was a still a doubt regarding his credentials in Tests as he had yet to get runs in England. In his last tour of England in 2014, Kohli had proved to be clueless in negotiating the swinging ball and had scored just 134 runs at an average of 13.4. However, in 2018, he put those doubts to rest by playing both James Anderson and Stuart Broad with aplomb. He scored 593 runs in the 10 Tests at an average of 59.3 with 2 centuries and confirmed his status as an all-time great. He had the highest batting average among the top 10 run scorers in Tests in 2018 and also scored the most runs away from home. Kohli scored 1138 runs in 11 Tests away from home which is the 3^rd most ever scored by a player in a calendar year away from home. His 4 centuries in a calendar year away from home was a joint record in Tests and he also scored the 2^nd highest runs by a captain in a calendar year away from home. Kohli scored runs all over the globe in 2018. He scored runs on the fast pitches in South Africa where there was lateral movement, he was willing to bide his time in England where the ball swung appreciably, before capitalizing when set and he also got runs in Australia, particularly at Perth. In short, he ticked all the boxes in Tests in 2018 and silenced the doubting Thomas’ once and for all.

Jasprit Bumrah

T-9, Wkts-48, Bowl Ave-21.02, Bowl S/R-47.4

Bumrah made his international debut Down Under in January 2016 and had already staked a claim to being the best white ball bowler in the world. However, from some reason he was cast as a bowler only suited for the shorter formats and even a pundit as qualified to comment on fast bowling as Michael Holding had doubts regarding his ability to succeed in Tests. Bumrah silenced all his detractors by succeeding in Tests in every country he played. He proved that the variations used by bowlers like the yorker, slower ball, bouncer etc could be effective even in Tests and his slower delivery to dismiss Shaun Marsh LBW at the MCG showed what a shrewd thinker of the game he is, and also his confidence to try out all the variations in his repertoire. Bumrah was the 2^nd highest wicket taker among pacers and the 4^th highest overall in 2018 in Tests and he now has a claim to being considered the best bowler across formats in world cricket. He has a lot of pace, can move the ball off the seam and his slower ball and bouncer are among the best in the world. The fact that his action is difficult to pick makes it even harder for the batsmen. Bumrah’s 48 Test wickets in 2018 was the 4^th highest by an Indian pace bowler in a calendar year ever and on all the 3 other occasions the bowlers in question had played a lot more Tests than him. His bowling average in 2018 was the highest ever by an Indian pace bowler who took at least 13 wickets in Tests in a calendar year. If he continues to progress at this rate he will be amongst the all-time great fast bowlers.

Kagiso Rabada

T-10, Wkts-52, Bowl Ave-20.07, Bowl S/R-38.2

Rabada is still only 23 and yet could legitimately stake a claim to being the leader of South Africa’s pace attack. With Dale Steyn on his last legs, Morne Morkel’s retirement and Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi being injury prone, Rabada will be the spearhead of the Proteas pace attack for a long time and he has already done enough in his short Test career to show that he has the broad shoulders to lead the attack for a long period of time. In the 2-marquee series that South Africa hosted in 2018, Rabada was the highest wicket-taker against Australia and the 2^nd highest wicket taker against India with bowling averages of 19.26 and 20.26 respectively. He took 15 wickets against India in 3 Tests and 23 against Australia at bowling strike rates of 41.7 and 36.7 respectively. Rabada is a genuine fast bowler and does not compromise on pace at any stage in his quest for movement. He has benefitted a lot under the tutelage of his senior bowlers in his team and if he keeps his head on his shoulders, and maintains his form and fitness, he can end his career as the highest wicket taker among pace bowlers in Tests.

ODIs

Virat Kohli

M-14, Runs- 1202, Batting Average-133.55, Strike Rate – 102.55, 100s/50s-6/3

Most critics in the world feel that Kohli is the greatest batsman across formats in world cricket and in addition to his phenomenal feats in Tests in 2018, he also had a staggering record in ODIs. The great thing about Kohli’s batting in ODIs, is that he does not go berserk in trying to force the pace by hitting the ball in the air but plays proper cricketing shots while keeping the ball on the floor. At the same time, he keeps the scoreboard ticking and ensures that he accumulates runs at a quick rate without taking undue risks and more often than not he helps India register a huge total. While chasing a target, his record is even more phenomenal and in 2018, he scored 535 runs at 178.33 at a strike rate of 110.76 in the 6 innings that India successfully chased down a target, studded with 3 centuries and a fifty. Kohli has perfected the art of working the ball around for singles and consolidating India’s position before going for the big hits towards the end of the innings without resorting to agricultural shots. He has already staked a claim to being the greatest ODI batsman of all-time. The enormity of his achievement can be gauged from the fact that this is the first time in the 48-year history of ODIs, that a batsman scored more than 1000 runs at an average in excess of 100 and a strike rate in excess of 100 in a calendar year.

Jonny Bairstow

M- 22, Runs-1025, Batt Ave-46.59, Batt S/R-118.22 100s/50s- 4/2

Bairstow was quite vocal in expressing his disappointment at losing the wicket-keeping gloves in Tests. In ODIs, he opens the batting while Jos Buttler keeps and there is no question that Bairstow bats more freely when he opens the batting and has a license to attack the new ball given the depth in the English batting. He was 1 of only 2 openers to score 1000 runs in 2018 in ODIs and scored just 5 runs lesser than Rohit Sharma. His batting strike rate was the 3^rd highest among all the 83 batsmen who opened the innings in ODIs in 2018 and to put things in perspective, both the batsmen with a higher strike rate didn’t even score 200 runs in the entire year. Bairstow’s success at the top of the order has given England a problem of plenty for the opening position with both Jason Roy and Alex Hales also among the runs. The fact that Bairstow is also a competent keeper is another string to his bow and his quick runs at the top allows England’s middle order the chance to capitalize on a good start and score more freely. His 139 off 92 balls against Australia at Trent Bridge was the catalyst for England posting a world record 481/6 off their 50 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav

M-19, Wkts-45, Bowl Ave-17.77, Bowl S/R- 22.9

Kuldeep has come on in leaps and bounds and he had a magnificent year in ODIs in 2018. He was the 2^nd highest wicket taker after Rashid Khan but his wickets came against most of the Test sides rather than the Associate teams that Rashid Khan played against. Kuldeep’s main strength is that he never gets disheartened even when he is hit for 6s. He continues to toss the ball up in his quest for wickets and this is what sets him apart from other spinners who resort to bowling flatter and faster when they get hit. Kuldeep is slow through the air and even accomplished batsmen struggle to pick his googly and it is his subtle changes in speed, trajectory and ability to spin the ball both ways that make him such a difficult proposition to face. He spun a web around England’s batsmen when he claimed 6/25 at Trent Bridge and this was the 2^nd best bowling in an innings in the entire year after Imran Tahir’s 6/24 against Zimbabwe. Kuldeep is India’s first choice spinner in the shorter formats and that fact that he bowls left-arm wrist spin adds to his mystique.

T20Is

Rohit Sharma

M-19, Runs-590, Batt Ave-36.87, Batt S/R-147.5, 100s/50s-2/3

No batsman has polarized opinion more in Test cricket regarding the umpteen chances he has got to cement his place. However, there is no question that Rohit is an all-time great in both ODIs and T20Is. He was the 2^nd highest scorer in T20Is in 2018 after his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan and he was the only batsman to score 2 centuries in T20Is in 2018. He also struck the joint 2^nd most sixes after Colin Munro with 31 hits over the fence. His strength is his ability to pick the line and length quicker than most mortals and his adeptness in playing the horizontal bat shots against the new ball bowlers. Once he settles down, he effortlessly hits the spinners for sixes straight down the ground and his range of stroke play cannot be matched by most batsmen. He is the only batsmen in history to score 4 centuries in T20Is and by the time he retires could well set a record that could stand for a long time.

Colin Munro:

M-12, Runs-500, Batt Ave-45.45, Batt S/R- 178.57, 100s/50s-1/4

Munro was only the 8^th highest scorer in T20Is in 2018 but his strike rate was the highest among any batsman who have scored more than 170 runs. He opens the batting for New Zealand and in addition to being a left-hander who makes the bowlers adjust their length, he targets the bowler virtually from the start of his innings. He has a wide array of shots in his armoury and plays unorthodox shots as well, and this confounds bowlers who are not prepared to counter his unconventional methods. He struck the maximum number of sixes (35) in T20Is in 2018 and nearly 75% of his runs came in fours and sixes and that leaves the bowlers petrified as even the slightest lapse in line or length may result in their going for a boundary. Munro has scored the second highest number of centuries in T20Is (3) and has the 2^nd highest batting strike rate among all the 111 batsmen who have scored a minimum of 500 runs in T20Is. He has the potential to compete with Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle as the greatest batsman in T20Is by the team he retires.

Shadab Khan:

M-19, Wkts-28, Bowl Ave -17.42, E/R-6.62, Bowl S/R-15.7

At the beginning of Twenty20 cricket most pundits felt that this format would result in the death knell for spinners but the success of spinners like Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav has shown that spinners are a force to reckon with even in the shortest format. Shadab is a quality leg-spinner and at the age of 20 cannot be called a finished article but even at this tender age he has managed to pick a bag of wickets. He was the 2^nd highest wicket taker in T20Is in 2018 and the highest amongst spinners. His miserly bowling allied with striking at regular intervals meant that Pakistan were always restricting the opposition and this resulted in Pakistan having the best Win-Loss ratio in T20Is in 2018. He may not be as electrifying to watch as other wrist spinners and does not generate the publicity of Kuldeep and Rashid Khan but he is in the upper echelon of wrist spinners in the shorter formats.

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