Year in review 2016: Indian cricket team's ascendancy to No 1 in Tests; Unbeaten 18 match streak round off phenomenal year

Indian cricket team tasted a lot of success in 2016 in all three formats of the game due to some breathtaking performances. India became the top-ranked ICC Test team on the back of their 18 match unbeaten streak. The record year also saw the team win nine out of 12 Test matches without a single defeat.

Virat Kohli, the Test captain has instilled awesome self-confidence amongst the boys apart from leading from the front. On the back of his own majestic form, Kohli combined with coach Anil Kumble to Lead India to three consecutive Test series victories.

Whereas the first came against West Indies on an away tour (2-0), the other two came against strong oppositions such as New Zealand (3-0) and England (4-0) at home. Kohli led from the front as he piled up 1215 runs with an average of 75.93 in the longer format of the game. Moreover, he became the first ever Indian batsman and captain to hit three double centuries in a year. The feat also helped him emerging as the second best batsman in ICC Test rankings.

Mercurial all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin ended the year on a high with 72 wickets and 612 runs in 12 matches. The year also saw Ashwin reaching the pinnacle of 200 Test wickets in his 37th Test match, the second fastest bowler after Clarrie Grimmett to reach the milestone. The performance also helped him emerge as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket for the second consecutive year and the top-ranked bowler and all-rounder in ICC Test rankings.

The batting department witnessed amazing performances from Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul. Karun Nair, the second Indian ever to hit a triple century and all-rounder Jayant Yadav made life tough for the visiting Englishmen. On the bowling front, Ravindra Jadeja provided effective support to Ashwin as he garnered 43 wickets in nine matches. Comeback man Mohammed Shami took 29 wickets in 10 Tests and bowled with considerable pace along with Umesh Yadav, to unsettle opponents. Overall, Indian team looks like a settled bunch for now and return of Ishant Sharma and Parthiv Patel has also bolstered the line-up.