The year that was – Top 5 events of Indian cricket in 2015

1. Spinners unfurl their mast - Ashwin

India have missed a potent spin duo since the subcontinental dominance of Kumble and Harbhajan in their heydays, but the Blues seem to have found a new pairing in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. With 31 and 23 wickets respectively, Ashwin and Jadeja shifted the advantage towards the home side. Ashwin’s melange of off-spinners and carrom-balls dovetailed perfectly with Jadeja’s quicker pace and subtler variations in pace and crease to leave the South African batsmen tasting dust and defeat.

2. Records are surpassed - The WC campaign down under

Although India finally fell at the semi-finals to a more well-balanced Australian side, the majority of the support back home was appreciative of their performance in the tournament (despite the best efforts of click-bait headlines from the predatory Indian media). But for a while, as India kept winning, match after match, to the backdrop of the wonderfully executed ‘Mauka Mauka’ television campaign, one could have been forgiven for dreaming that #wontgiveitback might actually live up to its destiny.

3. Batons are passed - Kohli takes over

Although it technically happened at the fag end of 2014, M S Dhoni’s sudden decision to retire from Test cricket was a pivotal moment, whose after-effects, both good and bad, have been felt well into 2015. There were certainly critics of Dhoni’s Test captaincy, with rocky overseas spells in the last four years and supposed stagnation in selection. But while the dust-trails from quickly fired opinions subside, what remains is the indisputable fact that Dhoni retired the most successful Test captain in India’s history.

Only one series loss at home, a two-year spell at the top of the ICC rankings, the only Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to come close to 100 Test matches, and all the while acting as a transitory bridge for Indian cricket as the wizened old guard made way for fiery new blood. The abrupt nature of the decision spoke volumes about Dhoni’s avoidance of spectacles, trust in younger players, and pragmatism in a country fuelled by sensationalism.

4. Greats say farewells last - Sehwag and Zaheer

Zaheer ends his career as the fourth highest wicket taker for India across formats (the second fast bowler behind Kapil Dev), the highest Indian wicket taker in World Cups with 44, and with the third highest wicket haul among left-arm pacers behind Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas. Sehwag, his casual retirement announcement on Twitter a microcosm of his playing style, was one of the most explosive Indian openers in the modern era. With a strike rate over 80 in Test cricket and the only two triple centuries by an Indian to his name, Sehwag revelled in being different, a rustic and dangerous hurricane in spectacles in his later days. Indian cricket shall surely miss these two greats.

5. Resurgence of bowling fast - Ishant

The sepia-toned memories of a young Ishant Sharma bowling at a ferocious pace to Ricky Ponting in 2007-08 have faded over the last five years. With only 105 wickets in 38 Tests between 2009 and 2013, coupled with a disappointing tempering of his speed, Ishant’s career has failed to reach the heights initially hoped for. But the period following Jan 2014 has seen somewhat of a resurgence for the lanky seamer, reaching a watershed moment against Sri Lanka in August.

His exploits against the Lankans marked the first time a seamer had taken more than 12 wickets in a Test series between these two sides since 1985. It was no one-off either: this was the culmination of an upturn in form going back 12 Tests in which Ishant had picked up 51 wickets with four five-fors at an average of 29.76 and a strike rate of 52.1, all stats markedly better than his career averages.