Team India players dominate Cricket Australia Playing XI; Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin included

The year 2021 was full of highs and lows for Team India but when you talk about individual performances, there was no shortage of match winners. Cricket Australia on Friday names combined side from 2021 which feature players who have scored tons of runs and bowlers who choked the opposition batting lineup with their line and length. Let's take a look at Cricket Australia Test XI of 2021.

Cricket Australia Test XI

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Dimuth Karunaratne

Rohit Sharma finished the year behind Joe Root for most runs in a calendar year. The Hitman scored a total of 906 runs at an average of 47.68. The right-handed batsman had two Centuries and four half-centuries to his name. Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne, on the other hand, scored 902 runs at a brilliant average of 69.38. He scored 4 centuries and 3 half-centuries, including a 244 against Bangladesh.

Middle-order: Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root and Fawad Alam

The middle-order will comprise of one batsman from Australia, one from England and one from Pakistan. From Australia, Marnus Labuschagne was given the nod following a superb year with the bat. He scored a total of 526 runs at a whopping average of 65.75. Labuschagne scored 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries. England skipper Joe Root finished the year as the leading run-getter, making him the automatic pick. Root scored 1708 at an average of 61 including 6 centuries and 4 half-centuries. The final name in the middle order will be of 
Pakistan's Fawad Alam scored a total of  571 runs which include 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries in 13 innings, averaging 57.10.

Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant after taking Wriddhiman Saha's place in the team put up his hand and performed brilliantly with the bat helping India win the series overseas.  Overall Pant scored 748 runs at 39.36. He also had 30 catches and 6 stumpings to his name this year.

Spinners

The spin department has been given to the Indian duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel who performed exceptionally well in the 2021 season. While Ashwin finished as the highest wicket-taker in Tests this year, Axar Patel announced himself in the longest format with a stunning display against England at home. While Ashwin claimed 54 wickets in 9 matches this year, Axar ended up with 27 wickets in just 5 matches.

Pacers

The pace department will feature Kylie Jamieson and the Pakistan duo of Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali.   Jamieson claimed his place in the team has performed well during World Test Championship and recent Test series against India. The tall Kiwi pacer who burst onto the scene in 2020 finished the year with a total of 27 wickets in 5 matches. Pakistani pace duo of Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali. While Afridi ended the year with 47 wickets in 9 matches, Hasan has bagged 41 in 8.