Top 5 moments for Indian cricket in 2016

#4 Ashwin’s 13-for against New Zealand and India receive the Test championship mace

Ashwin had an incredible year with the ball and bat

India completed a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand and also received the Test championship mace on October 11, with Ravichandran Ashwin returning with his best bowling figures in Tests. Ashwin’s figures of 7 for 59 were his best in Test cricket, as were his match figures of 13 for 140. His figures were the seventh best by an Indian bowler in Tests.

Ashwin, who has had a great season with both the bat and the ball, took 13 wickets for 140 runs against the Kiwis in the third Test match of the series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. This was his sixth ten-wicket haul in Tests, and he got one more against England in the next series.

He was at his lethal best against the New Zealand batsmen who struggled against him. He got the better of their best batsmen, Kane Williamson, in both the innings. The icing on the cake was when India were handed the ICC Test Championship mace at the end of the match.

The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has been the most influential player in India’s journey to the No.1 spot in Test rankings.

He is currently the No. 1 bowler and the No. 1 all-rounder in Tests and will look to maintain his spot in the next season.

Best bowling figures in a match by an Indian bowler

Narendra Hirwani	16/136 (vs West Indies, 1988)
Harbhajan Singh	15/217 (vs Australia, 2001)
Jasubhai Patel	14/124 (vs Australia, 1959)
Anil Kumble	14/149 (vs Pakistan, 1999)
Vinoo Mankad	13/131 (vs Pakistan, 1952)
Javagal Srinath	13/132 (vs Pakistan, 1999)
Ravichandran Ashwin	13/140 (vs New Zealand, 2016)