Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle has unveiled his Test Team of the Year 2024, which included England players and only two Indians as well. His Test Team of the Year 2024 has three England players, two Indians, and four players from Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand as well.
He picked the young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in his Test Team of the Year. Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored 1332 runs in 27 innings at an average of over 52 with the help of seven fifties and three hundreds as well. His second opener is England’s Ben Duckett, who has scored a ton in Rajkot and in Multan and five fifties to finish the year with 1,100 runs to his name in Test cricket so far as well.
Coming to the number three batting position, he has picked the New Zealand legend Kane Williamson, who scored 1013 runs in just 18 innings which came at an average of nearly 60 with the help of four hundreds and as many fifties as well. Meanwhile, Bhogle selected Joe Root at No. 4 in his Test team of the year as well. Joe Root has scored 1556 runs in 31 innings at an average of over 55 with the help of five fifties and six ton. The commentator then picked Harry Brook by saying that ‘he’s going to be a special player.’
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Speaking about his openers, Harsha Bhogle said on Cricbuzz: “Yashasvi Jaiswal did everything that was asked of him as an opener, so he is my first pick in the Test Team of 2024. I have picked Ben Duckett because of the runs he has scored across the world. It was very difficult for me to look beyond Kane Williamson, even though his numbers are skewed by a bout of heavy scoring at home, but how do you put aside someone who’s made huge runs at No. 3? He’s (Brook) going to be a really special player as he evolves. I just love the audacity with which he plays.”
Then, he chose Sri Lankan star Kamindu Mendis at No. 6 as he scored 1,049 runs at an astounding average of 75, with 5 centuries to his name as well. He also added Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan as his number seven player and wicketkeeper of his Test Team of the Year 2024 as well. Veteran Indian left-arm spinner and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja placed at the No. 8 spot who claimed 44 wickets and scored over 500 runs in 11 Tests this year as well. Apart from them, Harsha Bhogle’s bowling attack included Gus Atkinson (52 wickets in 11 Tests), Kagiso Rabada (32 wickets from 7 Tests), and Jasprit Bumrah (62 wickets in 12 Tests).
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Harsha Bhogle stated, “I wondered what Mendis was doing when I started seeing his scores at No. 7, then I watched him bat, and I wondered even more what he was doing batting at No. 7. Eventually, Sri Lanka started to push him up; he’s going to be some player. I only hope Sri Lanka looks after him, gives him the right numbers, and stays with him, even if he goes through a little downward patch.”
“What a joy it has been to watch Jasprit Bumrah across formats, across situations, across countries; there isn’t a bowler in world cricket at the moment like Bumrah, and he is carrying his country’s bowling attack everywhere he goes,” he concluded.
Here’s Harsha Bhogle’s Test Team of the Year 2024:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Duckett, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Kamindu Mendis, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Gus Atkinson, Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah (C)
