Best Test XI of 2021

So, another year is drawing to a close. 2021 was a riveting one, especially in Test match cricket. The Indian cricket team, sans their top stars stunned Australia by beating them at The Gabba and won a Test series in the land of the kangaroos for the second time in a row in January this year.

New Zealand shed their ‘underdog’ tag and tasted success in a major ICC event, winning the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC). And finally, towards the end of the year, England have received an absolute drubbing at The Ashes, have lost the first three matches of the series and the kangaroos have already retained the urn with 2 Test matches still to go.

There were several players who shone brightly in 2021, and this is a year that they will not like to forget. In this article, let us take a look at the best Test XI of 2021.

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was outstanding with the willow in 2021 in Test match cricket. The ‘Hitman’ scored 906 runs in the 21 innings that he played in 2021, and scored his runs at an excellent average of 47.68.

Sharma scored a classy 161 against England in February in Chennai, and helped the Indian side thrash the Joe Root-led side by 317 runs. Another Rohit special that the fans will remember for long came in September 2021, when the right-hander scored a mesmerizing 127 at the Kennington Oval, paving the way for India to beat England by 157 runs.

All in all, it was a year when the Hitman reigned supreme with the willow, and a year that Rohit Sharma will look back with fondness.

2. Dimuth Karunaratne

Sri Lankan batter Dimuth Karunaratne was in scintillating form with the willow in 2021 in Test cricket. Karunaratne scored 902 runs in just 13 innings and scored his runs at a staggering average of 69.38.

The left-handed batter also scored 4 hundreds and 3 fifties this year as well, and literally toyed with the opposition bowling attack. Karunaratne scored a fighting 103 against South Africa in Johannesburg in January this year, and three months later plundered a masterly 244 in a drawn encounter against Bangladesh.

Another century followed in the very next game against Bangladesh for Karunaratne, which helped his side thrash the Bangladeshi Tigers by 209 runs. The left-hander scored his 4th and final ton of the year in November 2021, against the West Indies, paving the way for Sri Lanka to decimate their opponents by 187 runs.

3. Joe Root

Joe Root has experienced a ‘near perfect’ year with the willow. The England cricketer has scored a truckload of runs in 2021. Root has plundered 1708 runs this year, while no other batter has even scored over 1000 Test runs this year.

Root averages a colossal 61.00 in Tests played in 2021 and has scored 6 centuries and 4 half-centuries this year. In fact, no England batter has scored more runs than Root in a calendar year in Test cricket.

The England skipper started the year by smashing a double century and a century in England’s first assignment of 2021 against Sri Lanka. He then followed that up with another classic double century against India in India. Root then scored a staggering 564 runs in 7 innings against India in a home series at a mind-boggling average of 94.00. The right-hander also scored 3 centuries in the Test series against the Virat Kohli-led outfit as well.

4. Kane Williamson (C)

Kane Williamson will be the skipper of this illustrious side. The Kiwi legend hardly put a foot wrong this year in the whites. New Zealand finally shed its ‘underachievers’ tag and emerged as the champions of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) under Williamson’s leadership.

Williamson was also in stellar form with the willow in 2021. The right-handed batting maestro amassed 395 runs with the bat this year and scored his runs at a gargantuan average of 65.83. Williamson scored a double century as well as a fifty this year for the Kiwis.

Also, Williamson led the New Zealand side in 4 Test matches this year, and the Black Caps won 2 and drew 2 matches.

5. Fawad Alam

Pakistan batter Fawad Alam will occupy the No.5 spot in this side. The left-handed batter was in superb form this year and scored 571 runs in 13 innings at a stupendous average of 57.10.

Alam scored a superb 109 against South Africa in January this year and allowed the Pakistan side to thrash their opposition by 7 wickets. The left-hander then scored a classy 140 against Zimbabwe at Harare and then scored a masterly 124* against the West Indies in August this year.

All in all, Alam was superb with the willow in the whites in 2021 and dismantled bowling attacks with panache.

6. Rishabh Pant (WK)

Rishabh Pant will don the wicket keeping gloves in this side. The Indian left-handed batter was in scintillating form this year in Test cricket, and scored 748 runs in 2021 in the white flannels, and scored his runs at an average of close to 40.

But more importantly, Pant played stellar knocks for India this year. His counter-attacking 97 off 118 deliveries at Sydney helped India draw the Test match against Australia. The 24-year-old followed this up with a classy 89* at The Gabba and helped India beat the Aussies in their own backyard.

Pant then scored a murderous 101 at a strike rate of 85.59 against England at home, paving the way for the Virat Kohli-led outfit to thrash the visitors by an innings and 25 runs.

7. Jason Holder

West Indian Jason Holder experienced a superb run with both bat and ball this year. With the red cherry in hand, the right arm pacer picked up 22 wickets this year at an excellent average of 22.77.

Holder also picked up a five-wicket haul in Tests this year as well. With the willow in hand, the 30-year-old scored 362 runs at an average of 25.86 this year in Test cricket.

Holder hardly put a foot wrong this year in Test cricket and will hope to take this form into 2022 as well.

8. Kyle Jamieson

New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson was outstanding with the red cherry in hand this year. Jamieson posed questions to the batters with the extra bounce that he generates because of his height as well as the seam movement off the deck.

And, in just 5 Test matches this year, the right-arm seamer prized out 27 willow wielders, averaging 17.52 with the ball. Jamieson played a key role in helping New Zealand beat India in the summit clash of the World Test Championship (WTC) and clinch the title at Southampton.

Jamieson scalped a total of 7 wickets in the summit clash of the WTC, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings to push India on the backfoot. He also won the Player of the Match award in the WTC final as well.

9. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin was the standout bowler in 2021. The off-spinner caused trouble to opposition batters throughout the year and emerged as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket this year.

Ashwin picked up a staggering 52 scalps in just 9 Test matches and picked his wickets at an average of 17.05 in 2021. He also picked up 3 fifers as well, and spun a web around the batters with his guile.

Ashwin also scored 355 runs with the willow this year as well, including a superb century in Chennai which helped the Indian side pummel England by 317 runs.

10. Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test match cricket in 2021. The 21-year-old scalped 47 wickets with the red cherry in hand this year in the whites and took his wickets at a stunning average of 17.06.

Afridi also scalped 3 five-wicket hauls this year for the Pakistan side in Test match cricket as well. Afridi’s five-wicket haul against the Zimbabwe side in May this year helped Pakistan trounce their opposition by an innings and 147 runs.

The left-arm seamer also scalped a six-wicket haul in August against the West Indies and fashioned Pakistan’s 109-run victory. Afridi’s third and final fifer this year came in November 2021 against Bangladesh and paved the way for his side to post an 8-wicket win.

11. Ollie Robinson

Ollie Robinson was the standout pacer from the England side in 2021. Robinson has the ability to swing the ball both ways, and the right arm seamer constantly posed questions to the batters this year.

Robinson played 8 Test matches this year and scalped 37 willow wielders at a stupendous average of 21.16. The 28-year-old scalped 2 five-wicket hauls in 2021 in the white flannels.

Robinson’s standout performance of the year was the five-wicket haul that he scalped against India at Headingley in August. His fifer helped England thrash India by an innings and 76 runs.