Just about everything came up roses for India in 2016.
May you be the mother of a thousand sons; in Indian tradition, this is the blessing given to girl’s getting married. And for boys, it is the belief that if you get them married they will become more responsible and ‘settle’ down. After all, they will tie themselves up in giving their newly-weds a thousand sons! But our cricketing boys seemed to have been blessed with a thousand runs instead for tying the nuptial knot. Since end 2015, the Indian cricket team seems to have been bowled over into marriage. In 2016 alone eight cricketers were locked in holy matrimony. It was time the boys had turned men. And they proved it on the field too.
Except for the ODI series in Australia and World T20, 2016 turned out to be the year to remember for team India. The Indian team put up a good show in all formats of the game and did not lose a single test match in 2016. Leading the Test charge was none other than Virat Kohli who too seemed to be hooked by the end of 2016 with bells ringing in 2017. This captain surely plays by example. This boy long wanted to be man and he showed the cricketing world the stuff he and his boys were made of.
2016 was a year in which coach Anil Kumble’s strategy coupled with Test captain Virat's ambition and aggression proved to be lethal.
Only thrice before have India won more than twice as many matches as they have lost in a year. India played much more at home than away this year, but to win close to three matches every four times you play is not to be scoffed at, no matter where you play them. There was certain ruthlessness to India when they were ahead in 2016, and resilience when they were down.
India’s 9-0 win-loss in Tests in 2016 is their best in a calendar year; their previous best being (in terms of wins) 8-3 in 2010. India's batting average of 47.02 (runs per wicket, excluding extras) is their third best in any year, and their best in any year when they have played ten or more Tests.
Nine scored test hundreds in 2016, which equals their highest in any year. Their aggregate of 18 centuries is the third highest for India in a year.Spinners took 135 Test wickets in 2016, the highest for spinners from any team in a year; the previous record also belonged to India, 133 in 2004.
In 2017, MS Dhoni will definitely get a chance to become part of the conversation again, when he leads India to their Champions Trophy title defence in England. The Test side is young and fit and likely to continue its dominance. But India will need to decide whether Dhoni can go on until the 2019 World Cup. And if he can, will he do so as captain or as just a player? The future of Indian cricket is going to be firm and sure in the hands of young Virat Kohli for sure.