ICC announces Men's T20I Team of the Year 2022, Indian players dominate Buttler-led team

The International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2022 on Monday. The 11-man team was dominated by India as three out of the eleven players belonged to the Indian cricket team. India played a total of 40 T20I games last year and also featured in the Asia Cup 2022, followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Virat Kohli

While T20 World Cup 2022-winning captain Jos Buttler was named as the skipper of the team, former India captain Virat Kohli was arguably the biggest cricketer to be named in the T20I team of the year. Kohli made a thumping return to form during the Asia Cup, where he was the second-highest run-scorer with 276 runs in five matches. In the same tournament, Kohli hit his maiden century and first international hundred in three years.

He then carried over his stellar form to the T20 World Cup in Australia. Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 runs off 53 balls against Pakistan in their opening match. This knock by Kohli can be considered one of his biggest T20I knocks of all time. He was the highest run-scorer in the marquee tournament with 296 runs.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav concluded 2022 as the No. 1 ranked T20 batter of the year, courtesy of his exploits throughout the year. He became the second batter to score over 1000 runs in a calendar year in the T20 format. He scored a total of 1164 runs in the year and hit two centuries, alongside nine fifties at a strike rate of 187.43. 

The right-handed batter also proved to be a key player for India at the T20 World Cup. He finished the tournament with a total of 239 runs at a strike rate of 189.68. While Kohli was the highest run-scorer, Suryakumar was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 239 runs in six games.

Hardik Pandya

Another star Indian cricketer to feature in the ICC Men’s T20I team of 2022 was Hardik Pandya. The 29-year-old had a great year in both the batting and bowling departments. He scored 607 runs in the format while registering a total of 20 wickets. He also played a knock of 63 runs in 33 balls during the semi-final against England and took India to a respectable total.

Full list of players in ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2022

1. Jos Buttler (c, wk) (England)
2. Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
3. Virat Kohli (India)
4. Suryakumar Yadav (India)
5. Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
6. Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
7. Hardik Pandya (India)
8. Sam Curran (England)
9. Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
10. Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
11. Josh Little (Ireland)