On 24 October 2022, I had switched off the TV briefly after India lost their fourth wicket chasing Pakistan’s 159 in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. With the target still 129 runs away, it was yet another defeat staring India. But what happened next is and will be remembered as one of the best comeback innings of all time. The next 60-odd minutes and 14 overs would become one of the finest hours a fan can ever hope to experience.
Here is Virat Kohli’s comeback and four more events that Indian cricket fans will remember from the year gone by.
The Kohli comeback
Before Virat Kohli’s innings against Pakistan in October, only half of India was convinced that the century against Afghanistan earlier in the year, which came after more than 1,000 days, was his comeback. I belonged to the other half.
But in the high-pressure match against the arch-rivals, the King rose to the occasion, giving the world a masterclass in batting, scoring 82(not out) runs off 53 balls. It would be rated above many of the hundreds the former Indian skipper is remembered for.
Kohli’s six over mid-wicket of Shadab Khan that made India jump in their living rooms and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, can easily go down as the best cricketing moment of 2022.
Also read: Play Pakistan, know Pakistan—why Indian cricket can’t afford to let go of the golden window
Return of quality cricket to Pakistan
Less for the action on ground and more for its sheer historical importance, Australia’s tour of Pakistan earlier this year was a landmark in cricketing calendar. For a game that’s barely played in two dozen countries and less than a dozen when it comes to serious Test cricket, Pakistan’s absence from the list of nations hosting quality international sides was a sporting tragedy. Amid a “head of state level security” at Rawalpindi on 4 March 2022, when Mitchell Starc ran up to start the proceedings against Abdullah Shafiq, it was a new generation of Pakistan fans watching a new generation of Australian cricketers. The Australians had returned after 24 years.
England and the Bazball
The team that’s been making all the right noises in world cricket today is not India, it’s England. In fact, India was at the receiving end of England’s ‘Bazball cricket’ when the latter defeated Rohit Sharma’s side in the rescheduled fifth Test match earlier this year to level the series 2-2. England reigned over the Test format all throughout 2022—home or away. The team first changed gears against New Zealand in a home series, whitewashing the Kiwis 3-0. The ‘rain gods’ have often been accused of rescuing the English side in tight situations with a spell or two. But with Bazball, England have ensured they survive and even thrive without their mercy. The English side can finish proceedings in less than five days. And their last blow of the year came against Pakistan, in Pakistan. Ben Stokes’ men have redefined the longer format of the game this year. Will it continue to be their strategy next year? Well, Ashes will tell next summer.
The Asian lions roar again
Sri Lankan national crisis and Sri Lankan cricket have followed divergent trends more than once. When chips are down for the Island nation, it is the cricket team that lifts the spirits for millions. So, when Sri Lanka lifted the 2022 Asia Cup, beating Pakistan in the final, the cricketing fraternity couldn’t help but sit up and take note of a ‘list’ of players. Yes, to the followers of the game outside of Sri Lanka, these players weren’t more than names on a piece of paper — none of them could remind you of a performance or ability that could pose a threat to some of the best sides in the world they were going up against. Entering the tournament as underdogs, they came out as champions with new heroes — a gritty captain in Dasun Shanaka, an unflappable batter in Bhanuka Rajapaksa and an elusive all-rounder in Wanindu Hasaranga, who was crowned man of the series. Terrorist attack before the 1996 World Cup triumph, economic crisis now, it’s the cricketers that play healers-in-chief in Sri Lanka.
Also read: Pele’s passing, glory for Messi and an unprecedented FIFA ban for India sum up year
Women in blue
2022 was the year when Indian women cricketers did what their male counterparts couldn’t — winning the Asia Cup final by defeating the Sri Lankans. The seventh Asia Cup wasn’t the only big feat that women in blue achieved in 2022. The year saw cricket make a comeback to the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham and India booked themselves a berth in the finals. In a final that went into the last over, India lost to the world champions, settling for a silver. It was Indian women cricket team’s second major defeat in 2022 against the Australians, after the one that kept them out of the semi-final in the 50 over World Cup in March. Perhaps the biggest victory for the women cricketers came off the field, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced pay parity across both men and women teams resulting in equal match fee.