Test cricket had a fine endorsement in 2021. With plenty of thrilling encounters and the final of the first World Test Championship, the red-ball format enjoyed its share of attention this year. A few players did well for their teams consistently this year. On that note, in this article, we take a look at the best Test XI of the year 2021.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Dimuth Karunaratne
Rohit Sharma and Dimuth Karunaratne will open the batting for this best Test XI of the year 2021. Although he did not have an extraordinary tour of Australia, Rohit came back strongly against England at home and then on the English soil. He finally got an overseas ton in Tests and is also currently the highest-ranked Indian batsman. In just seven games, Dimuth has made close to 900 runs in 2021. For a long time, he has been doing well for Sri Lanka, and his average of 69.38 served the team well this year.
Middle-Order: Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) and Fawad Alam
Marnus has played only a few games this year and there are also higher run-getters than him. However, in terms of impact, he finds a way to this XI. The ongoing Ashes will see him add more runs to his account for 2021.
Joe Root was just unstoppable in 2021. He has made more than 1600 runs and by the end of the year, there will be more runs in his record. Root struck centuries in India and has also started well in Australia.
Rishabh Pant struggled in England but at home and in Australia, he was exceptional. While he keeps the wickets for this XI, Pakistan batter Fawad Alam, who scored 571 runs in 2021, will play at No.6.
All-Rounders: R Ashwin and Axar Patel
While R Ashwin crossed the mark of 50 wickets in 2021, Axar Patel started his career well by collecting 36 scalps in just five games. Ashwin also got a hundred this year, while Axar scored a fifty and some important cameos against New Zealand. Hence, the Indian duo is part of this department.
Bowlers: Ollie Robinson, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi
Ollie Robinson has had a fine start to his career and so far, he looks like a player who can replace the veterans of the English pace attack. In seven games so far, the right-arm pacer collected 35 wickets in 2021.
Pakistan duo of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi both collected more than 40 wickets in 2021. They combined well to help Pakistan do decently well in the Test format. Hence, they will form a part of this XI.
