Cricket News: Just before the end of 2022: we choose the MVP of Indian cricket

It wasn’t without its high moments, but the lows stick starkly to everyone’s minds – the hammering at England’s hands in the one-off Test, the Asia Cup debacle and the T20 World Cup disaster. 

However, that doesn’t mean the year has been one of doom and gloom. And a few players have served to remind fans that there is plenty of hope in Indian cricket yet. 

With that in mind, here are three players who have been the MVPs of the sport in 2022. 

Suryakumar Yadav – When most people believe that India’s T20I batting is behind the times, Suryakumar Yadav existed as proof of what India can do rather than their shortcomings in the shortest format of the game. 

With a top order who struggled to accelerate the scoring pace, the man nicknamed SKY made it seem effortless. It became a habit for him to start the innings with a boundary, and his fearless hitting struck fear into many a bowling attack. 

Little surprise then that he ended the calendar year as the highest-scoring batsman in T20I cricket. There are lot to change about India’s approach in T20I batting, but SKY isn’t one of them. India should protect him at all costs. 

Arshdeep Singh – It’s always nice to see a young talent rise to the top, and it’s even better when you see them excel at a role where it wasn’t expected of them. Arshdeep Singh ticked both of those boxes in the 2022 calendar year. 

It is telling that he hadn’t even made his international debut with half the year gone by, but he still features on this list. That is because in Arshdeep, India finally found the left-arm seamer they needed, and he proved a shockingly good foil for Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball. 

Yes, he sometimes struggled in the death – a role in which he excelled during the IPL – but international cricket can be difficult to adjust to. The Punjab lad has shown enough potential that the team should consider sticking with him for the long run. 

Ravindra Jadeja – It is telling that when he was injured during the Asia Cup earlier this year, India scrambled to find three players who could do the role he pulls off in the Indian cricket team. But such is his value to the team that it should have been of no surprise whatsoever. 

Jadeja is a rare left-hander in India’s batting line-up, capable of batting anywhere in the order. His bowling is solid at worst and excellent at best. And his abilities as a fielder in the deep are the stuff of legends. 

Whenever he has been fit, he has been the first choice for India and with good reason too. Fans only hope he remains fit through the 2023 season, as he is virtually irreplaceable in the playing XI.