Harsha Bhogle names Test Team of the Year

Another exciting year of cricket is on the verge of completion. The ODI format stole the limelight in 2023 due to the occurrence of the 50-over World Cup in India. However, the cricket fraternity saw some intriguing Test cricket as well, including the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia at The Oval. Pat Cummins and Co. won the encounter by 209 runs as India suffered a defeat in the finals of the WTC once again.

As 2023 is about to conclude, legendary commentator Harsha Bhogle named his Test XI for the year. Four England players, three Aussies, two New Zealanders, and two Indians made the cut.

England made a drastic change in their playing style under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Their ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' ploy aided them on several occasions. They couldn't reclaim the Ashes at home but they managed to level the series after losing the first two Tests.

Meanwhile, Australia suffered a 1-2 series defeat in India before the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Ashes. The Cummins-led side finished the year by sealing the three-match Test series against Pakistan 2-0 with a game to spare. India bounced back after their WTC final defeat and won a Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean by a 1-0 margin. However, their year didn't end on a positive note as they lost to South Africa in the Boxing Day Test by an innings and 32 runs. Meanwhile, the Kiwis drew a Test series at home against England before whitewashing Sri Lanka. New Zealand's most recent Test series ended in a 1-1 draw at home against Bangladesh.

Aussie opener Usman Khawaja finished as the leading run-getter in Tests in 2023, finishing with 1210 runs in 13 matches, at a staggering average of 52.60. Meanwhile, no other bowler picked up more wickets than Nathan Lyon (47) this year. However, Harsha decided to name Ashwin, who bagged 41 wickets at a much lower average and strike rate than Lyon, as the premier off-spinner in his side.

Harsha Bhogle's Test team of the year: Usman Khawaja, Zak Crawley, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ravindra Jadeja, Tom Blundell (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Broad, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood