Four Indians have made the cut as the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the Men's T20I Team of the Year for the 2023 season on Monday. Top-ranked batter Suryakumar Yadav spearheaded the star-studded lineup revealed by the global cricket administrative body in the T20 World Cup year. Premier batter Suryakumar recently captained the Indian team in the absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and his former deputy Hardik Pandya.
Under the leadership of Suryakumar, India played two T20I series against Australia and South Africa after the One Day International (ODI) World Cup. Nicknamed SKY, the explosive batter retained the top spot in last year's ICC Men's T20I batting rankings. Each year, the ICC recognises 11 outstanding individuals who earned plaudits for their remarkable performances in the shortest format. Players who stood out throughout the 2023 season have been nominated in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year.
Another stellar season for Suryakumar
ICC picked Suryakumar as the captain of the men's T20I team of the year after the star batter capped off a stellar 2023 season in the shortest format. Surya kicked off the previous season with a score of seven against Sri Lanka before notching up scores of 51 (36) and 112* (51) in the next two T20Is. The top-ranked batter showcased his consistency by regularly scoring in the 20s to 40s for India. He also smashed half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls). In the final T20I of the year at Johannesburg, India's stand-in skipper registered a stunning century off 56 balls against South Africa.
{{/usCountry}}ICC picked Suryakumar as the captain of the men's T20I team of the year after the star batter capped off a stellar 2023 season in the shortest format. Surya kicked off the previous season with a score of seven against Sri Lanka before notching up scores of 51 (36) and 112* (51) in the next two T20Is. The top-ranked batter showcased his consistency by regularly scoring in the 20s to 40s for India. He also smashed half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls). In the final T20I of the year at Johannesburg, India's stand-in skipper registered a stunning century off 56 balls against South Africa.
{{/usCountry}}Jaiswal, Bishnoi join Surya in men's T20I Team of the Year
Joining Suryakumar in the batting lineup, Yashasvi Jaiswal was roped in as an opener in the T20I Team of the Year for the previous season. The Indian opener made his debut against the West Indies in August. Youngster Jaiswal scored 430 runs in 14 innings and batted at a strike rate of 159.
India spinner Ravi Bishnoi also made the cut with speedster Arshdeep Singh in the ICC Team of the Year. Spin wizard Bishnoi secured the No.1 spot in the ICC T20 Bowling Rankings. Bishnoi bagged a wicket in every match he played against Australia. He was also named the Player of the Series. His teammate Arshdeep was the fourth Indian named in the Team of the Year. Pacer Arshdeep bagged 26 wickets in 21 T20Is for India.
ICC men's T20I team of the Year:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Phil Salt, Nicholas Pooran, Mark Chapman, Sikandar Raza, Alpesh Ramjani, Mark Adair, Ravi Bishnoi, Richard Ngarava, Arshdeep Singh.