As 2024 closes, Cricket Australia has once again selected the best players from the Test format to make up the elite Team of the Year. Extremely bright talents from all corners of the cricketing world are presented in the lineup: three English players, two Indians, two New Zealanders, two Australians, one Sri Lankan and one South African. However, the selection had some sort of shockers as Pat Cummins, the Australian bowler and exogenous player Rohit Sharma, was not part of the list, as Jasprit Bumrah made it.
As far as the leadership of the team was concerned, the captain of the ‘Super Strikers of the World’ was given the dubious honour of India’s Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has twice captained India and proved his mettle in the recent Perth Test against Australia last month. This five-wicket protection helped India win much of cruciality and gained him the Player of the Match. Bumrah had earlier captained the side during the fifth Test against England in July 2022, but it was later rescheduled. However, owing to limited captaining expertise, his strategic abilities, coupled with his match-winning style, were capable of outshining the best that this team had to offer.
Another Indian included on the team was the youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal. The opener had an outstanding year, scoring 1,478 runs in 15 games with three centuries to his name. His exploits set new landmarks, and for instance, most runs by an Indian opener in a calendar year and 36 sixes in Test cricket, to mention but a few. Jaiswal has been phenomenal from the ground and showcased extraordinary stamina, delighting everyone with two consecutive double centuries in the home series against England in February. Two of the recent knocks that hold significant importance are 161 in the second inning of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener, which actually sealed the Indian victory.
This year’s squad is also international and highlights players who have made history and performed exceptionally well during the year.
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