5 unsung heroes of Indian cricket in 2016

While the opportunity of playing for the country brings with it the perks of hogging the headlines and being the darling of the crowd, not everyone gets their spot under the limelight, especially with the Kohlis and the Ashwins ruling 2016 with stupendous performances.

Here are five Indian players who pitched in with stellar performances, but their thankless jobs went unnoticed amongst their more flashy and illustrious counterparts:

#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Briefly heralded as the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack, Bhuvneshwar lost his way a tad because of recurring injuries. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for he worked on his pace and cranked it up a few notches. With speed perfectly complementing the swing that he gets on the ball, his effectiveness has increased, and was there to see when he walked off the bench and delivered, first in the Caribbean, and later against the Kiwis at home.

Having started off primarily as a limited overs specialist, Bhuvi made his foray into the longest format in 2013, and hadn’t played one in a year and half when he got a chance in the West Indies this year. He made a big statement by picking up five wickets for just 33 runs straightaway. Again, when he was picked for the Kolkata Test against New Zealand, he took another fifer to show how vital he is to the line-up, bringing variation to the bowling attack.

#4 Cheteshwar Pujara

The linchpin of India’s Test line-up for quite a while now, Pujara suddenly found a big question mark over his head when he couldn’t find form with the bat early this year. Under Kohli’s captaincy, the Indian team has maintained an aggressive demeanour, forcing for a result and not looking for a draw.

In all this, Pujara’s drab batting was somewhere hurting the team, especially in the second innings when the team requires quick runs. There seems to have had been a steady decline in his career strike rates after 2014, distinctly in the early part of his innings.

Virat Kohli had opened up about Pujara’s slow approach, having talked to head coach Anil Kumble on the same and contemplated what could have been done. In the West Indies, he had scored 62 off 226 balls, and was dropped from the next Test.

A rejuvenated Pujara turned the tables in the first Test against the Kiwis at Kanpur, scoring 141 off 261 balls showed that there was much hullabaloo about nothing. In 2016, he has scored the second most runs for the Indian team in Tests, next only to Kohli, at an average of 55.73, and a strike rate of 48.43, more than the likes of Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane.

#3 Ashish Nehra

Mohammad Amir wasn’t the only left-arm pacer who made a long-awaited comeback in 2016. Before a knee injury played spoilsport, Ashish Nehra was having a memorable year in the Indian jersey, rolling back the years in some style. The 37-year old got a call-up after five long years, and made it count with bouts of sensational left arm pace, picking up crucial wickets in the initial overs.

Having made his debut under Sourav Ganguly, Nehra made his presence felt even 15 years after playing his first ODI for India, bowling commendably in the Asia Cup and the World T20, continuing his ability to swing the ball into the right-hander, as well as the knack to straighten it. He was unlucky to be sidelined after playing a stellar role for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the limited matches he played.

#2 Murali Vijay

In the musical chairs competition that the Indian opening combination is, Murali Vijay has been somewhat of a constant, watching partners frequently change from the other end. Despite a new combination in almost every game, Vijay has managed to stay unflustered, playing out his natural game after having recovered from an injury midway through the year.

The finger injury that he sustained during the Windies tour sidelined him for a couple of matches, but the rest proved to be a welcome break, for he came back refreshed, and has been in good form since. While the rest of the openers have blown hot and cold, Vijay has ensured that there is stability at the top, with numbers to back his approach. In 14 innings, he has four 50+ scores, including two big hundreds.

#1 Jasprit Bumrah

When Bumrah first came into limelight while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, people remarked at his unconventional bowling action. Bowling with a jerky, awkward action with arms flailing all around, he strayed a bit in his line and length during his initial games in the IPL. However, when the India call-up came, he took to it like fish to water.

In his debut season itself, Bumrah has taken more T20I wickets than anyone else this year, utilising the yorker to telling effect, even on the slow Indian pitches. He has filled in the role of the death bowler seamlessly, and has been used shrewdly by skipper Dhoni. Doing the dirty task of bowling the final overs, with batsmen swinging at everything, is a thankless job, and Bumrah, having tasted international cricket just this year, has done an admirably well.