The Best of 2017: Best Indian Test XI of the year

Team India has been performing out of their skins for the past 12 months or so. They have absolutely thrashed every opponent that has come their way. The success they enjoyed in the long home Test season was one of the best for them in the history of cricket. They demolished all the top Test playing nations and have been sitting on the throne of the number of Test team in the world. The Indian team is full of talent but not everyone is able to produce their best cricket all the time. There have been various performers who have produced their A game almost every time they stepped on the field. The whole of 2017 has seen some players grow into the team while some have fallen behind the others. That said, we are going to look at the best India Test team of the year 2017. #1 Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shikhar Dhawan, fondly called ‘Gabbar’ of the Indian team has been in a phenomenal form lately. However, he has been in good stead since the beginning of this year. He has performed well up front for Team India even with a few injury concerns here and there. His centuries have been big and come in crunch situations. Dhawan has batted in 8 innings out of the five Test matches he has played this year, he has scored 550 runs in the process. The 32-year-old Indian opener recorded his best Test score of 190 this year. He has managed an average of 68.75 this year, despite all the injuries and family concerns he faced. With two centuries and two fifties to his name, Dhawan makes the cut into the best Indian Test teamcrick of 2017. #2 Murali Vijay Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: Twitter) Since grabbing the opening spot in Test cricket, Murali Vijay has not put a foot wrong. He is one of those players who is a treat to the eye. A stylish right-hander and maintains a very calm and formulated approach, Vijay has been a run machine for India. He has held that top spot for a while now and is a player who is capable of playing the long innings. He has played more than 50 Test matches for India but this year has yielded him some very good performances. He played 6 Test matches and batted in 10 innings. The 33-year-old scored 520 runs at an average of 52. He recently composed two back to back centuries against Sri Lanka which carried his total to three centuries in a year. #3 Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Twitter) Cheteshwar Pujara has cemented his place in the squad with some outstanding accomplishments. He is the leading run scorer of the Indian team in 2017, outscoring his own captain and playing some crucial knocks that have helped India win. His 92 against Australia in Bangalore is one of the best innings Pujara played this year, given the pressure and the quality he had to handle. Pujara has scored a whopping 1140 runs in this calendar year. He has played in 11 Test matches and has batter in 18 innings. The 29-year-old has scored those runs at an average of 67 which also is one of the best in India. Pujara scored four centuries this year and also a double hundred against Australia in Ranchi. #4 Virat Kohli (C) Virat Kohli celebrates his 6th double ton. (Photo Source: Twitter) Virat Kohli is outperforming himself in every game he plays. There are no adjectives that could describe this man’s form this year in all the formats of the game. He does that while captaining his side as well. The expectations he has to carry on his shoulders are unparalleled. The number of 200s he has scored is just awe-inspiring. Kohli is the second highest run scorer in Tests in 2017 for India. He is only behind Cheteshwar Pujara by 90 odd runs. He has scored 1059 runs in this year at an average which is unbelievable for a player who plays so much cricketsta. The Indian skipper averages a startling 75.64 in Tests this year. Moreover, he has scored five centuries and a bunch of double centuries. #5 Ajinkya Rahane India’s Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) Ajinkya Rahane ran out of fuel at the end of this year. He was outstanding in some of the Test matches he played this year. Especially when Virat was injured in the final Test match against Australia, he stood up and won the series and game for India with his captaincy. India has trusted Rahane and he has delivered almost every single time. Rahane has scored over 500 runs this year and has scored one century and three fifties. Though his statistics are not up to the mark he has played very good hands in some pressure situations for his country. Rahane was also pivotal against Australia in the second Test that India one. Although he has been struggling currently, this year overall has been very good for Rahane. #6 KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Twitter) Rahul has mostly opened the innings for India he finds a spot at number six in this team. He is the third highest scorer for India in 2017 and is behind Virat and Pujara. He has been a find for the team as he has been in fantastic form this season. Lokesh Rahul has been sensational in the ODIs as well and Test cricket has duly tested his patience. He has scored 9 fifties but has failed to convert any of them into centuries. With no centuries this year and still finishing in the top three run scorers for his country is some unusual feat to achieve. Rahul averages 48.69 in his 9 Test matches and is consistently scoring those half centuries. It will be interesting to see if he gets to the triple figures in the next Test he plays. #7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk) Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: Twitter) Wriddhiman Saha, when called up by the Indian team, had huge shoes to fill. He replaced the one and only Mahendra Singh Dhoni and it is never easy to replace a legend. Saha, however, has been astonishing behind the stumps. He has been more than consistent with his glove-work and has been impressive with his batting. Saha has scored 423 runs in the 11 matches he has played. Coming as low as number seven and scoring two centuries is commendable. One of those centuries was against Australia in Ranchi which was one of his best innings. Saha was also terrific behind the stumps during all of 2017. He has taken some superb catches behind the wickets and that has cemented his place in the team. #8 Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: Twitter) R Ashwin has been India’s premier spinner for quite a while now. He has bamboozled the opposition with his spin bowling and is leading the wicket-taking charts all over the world. Ashwin is the major threats for any of team visiting India. Ashwin has been bowling relentlessly and intelligently. He went past 300 number of wickets this year. He has taken 56 wickets this year, which is by far the best by any Indian bowler. The off-spinner averages just 27 balls per wicket in Test cricket which is superb for any spinner. His strike rate is also 59.35 which is strikingly astonishing. With 11 Test matches to his name in 2017, Ashwin has been more successful than any other bowler. #9 Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Twitter) The left arm orthodox, Ravindra Jadeja, is the swagger boy of India. The ever so consistent Jadeja had a wonderful 2017. He played some magical cricket over the year and has been superb with the ball. Some great batting performances also back his bowling achievements but it is the number of wickets which makes him break into this team. Jadeja has taken 54 wickets this year which makes him the second highest wicket-taker for India in 2017. This is his most successful year by far. He is just 2 wickets behind Ravichandran Ashwin and has 2 five-fors to his name. His average is 27 balls per wicket and strike rate at 59.35. Jadeja also scored some crucial runs against Australia which helped India win the last Test. #10 Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter) Umesh Yadav has finally clicked for India. He has been around for a long time now but his waywardness was a bit too much until this year. He performed extremely well on flat Indian pitches. His fitness and also his attitude has earned him the tag of third highest wicket-taker in this calendar year. He has taken 31 wickets this year and has been lethal with the new ball. Umesh Yadav blessed all the Indian cricket fans with some fiery spells this year. His average is 29 balls per wicket and in the 10 matches, he played this year. #11 Mohammed Shami Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Mohammed Shami, the other Indian pacer, who has been phenomenal with his bowling also makes the cut. Most of the matches in India were dominated by the spinners but Shami and Yadav managed to make an impact with whatever chance they got. With an injury-filled year, Shami still managed to get on this team. He has taken 19 wickets in the 5 Test matches he played. The line and length Shami bowls, with his natural outswing, is always worth watching. Shami has been fantastically used by Virat as well. He has used him as his trump card. He was brought on whenever a partnership was building and Shami provided with a crucial breakthrough, almost every single time.

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