Indian cricket team 2010-19: Rise under MS Dhoni, twin ICC delight, historic home run and a prized pace attack

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Sachin Tendulkar was still to amass 13,000 runs in Test cricket, young and promising Virat Kohli was considered a brash kid in love with himself albeit ambiguous to veterans, MS Dhoni was just three years into his captaincy, but Team India, no matter the format, was slowly establishing themselves as the powerhouse in Test cricket. The inaugural T20 World Cup triumph had established India's dominance in the newest format of the gentlemen's game, while the Men in Blue finished as the second-best side in ODIs in the 2000s. But a historic Test series win in New Zealand and draws against South Africa and Bangladesh, saw a rise of a new Indian side who were looking to rule the roost in Test cricket as well.

10 years hence, India have two more ICC trophies to their name - both in the 50-over format and both under Dhoni, Kohli has transformed into a run machine, all certain to break Tendulkar's once-invincible record, while the nation has emerged as an almighty force in Test cricket with a prized collection of formidable pacers who can dominate even on home turfs.

India's continued success under MS Dhoni

The South Africans had Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla in their side and they have tasted the Eden track before in the career, but ask the Aussies, they sure know that no team can take down an Indian comeback at the Eden Gardens. And even the script was eerily similar. Australia had defeated India in Mumbai back in 2000-01, just the way South Africa had pummelled the hosts in Nagpur in the first match. Both teams got off to a steady start at the Eden Gardens with Australia managing 193 for 1 while South Africa were 218 for one in 58 overs following centuries from Amla and debutant Alviro Petersen. And once again, it was Harbhajan Singh played the key role in the victory. The offie was under immense pressure following a lacklustre return in Nagpur. But was Harbhajan who did it for India at his favourite venue as he trapped Morne Morkel in front to unleash a huge roar from the 35000 that had packed a renovating Eden Gardens in February.

As overwhelming and picturesque the scene was in Kolkata that evening, the innings victory against Smith's South Africa saw a beginning of a new tale in India's Test history.

The draw against South Africa and a subsequent draw against Sri Lanka in July 2010, helped India retain the No.1 rankings in Tests, in between which, they had reclaimed the Asia Cup as well. India then defeated Australia and New Zealand in Tests at home before drawing a three-match series in South Africa in December 2010.

The year following witnessed India's best moment in this decade. 28 years after the match that changed the sporting culture in India, the Men in Blue reclaimed the elusive World Cup trophy riding on the back of an iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir and a sublime and unbeaten 91 from Dhoni as India pulled off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final. Team India became the first team to win the World Cup at home and third nation after West Indies and Australia to lift the trophy twice.

The glorious moment was soon engulfed by a period of gloom as India lost their No.1 ranking in Tests following a 4-0 whitewash in England and a similar in Australia in January 2012. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired soon after, Tendulkar drew curtains on his career a year later, after playing his 200th Test match. The period marked the end of India's fabled batting lineup.

2012 was rough for Indian cricket. They failed to reach the final in the CB Series against Australia and Sri Lanka, lost the Asia Cup, was eliminated in the Super Eight round in World T20 and the year ended with England first-ever Test series win in India since 1984-85.

Another ICC trophy and Dhoni's sudden Test retirement

India avenged their whitewash in Australia with a 4-0 cleans weep against the visitors in March 2013. And it was followed by India's ICC Champions Trophy triumph in June where they had defeated England in the final. Dhoni subsequently became the first skipper ever to lift all three ICC trophies. It was followed by ODI series win against Zimbabwe, Australia and West Indies. But their imperious run soon came to an end at the beginning of 2014 when India lost both the ODI and the Test series in South Africa and in New Zealand, followed by yet another Asia Cup failure and World T20 failure where they had lost to Sri Lanka in the final. India, however, bagged the top spot in ICC ODI rankings after series win against Sri Lanka and West Indies.

In December 2014, India travelled south to Australia to defend the Border-Gavaskar trophy and returned empty-handed following a 2-0 defeat. But the series is more remembered for Dhoni's sudden retirement for Tests. Kohli was subsequently handed over the responsibility.

Rise in India's Test dominance at home, ICC failures continue

Since the start of Kohli's captaincy in 2015, India won all the ten Test series played at home, winning 22 matches off the total 28 games while losing only once (against Australia in 2017 Border-Gavaskar series). The span also witnessed India winning 19 straight Test matches before the Aussies broke the streak in February 2017. Such was India's dominance that in the 23 Tests Kohli captained between 2015 and 2017, he only stood behind Dhoni and Ganguly in terms of most Test wins as captain while also surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's unbeaten record of 18 Tests.

Indian bowling attack, led by the then formidable spin combination of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, recorded an average of 26.19 during India's victorious and record-breaking home run with the former emerging as the highest wicket-taker (190) during the period that also saw him rising to the top spot in the ICC bowler's ranking. Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker in 2015 and 2016 and third highest in 2017. Jadeja, on the other hand, picked 120 wickets during the same period which witnessed him emerging as one of the top all-rounders in the format.

In between India’s Test dominance, the Men in Blue were knocked out of 2015 World Cup in the semis to eventual-champions Australia, won the Asia Cup in 2016, lost to West Indies in the semis of 2016 World T20 where Kohli was named the Player of the Series and lost to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.

Rise in Indian pace attack, ICC heartbreak continues

After building an invincible stature of themselves in Tests at home, Kohli's India left home to conquer overseas turf. India lost in South Africa, were humiliated in England, but won a historic maiden in Australia. And finally, with their tour of West Indies in August, India ended their overseas campaign with nine wins in 17 matches. While the period witnessed a topsy-turvy run for the team, Kohli saw a glimmer of hope with the rise in a solid pace bowling attack. The Indian bowling unit averaged 23.75 during the period which is only second-best after South Africa (23.52). Jasprit Bumrah has been the leading wicket-taker for India with 62 wickets in 24 innings at an average of just 19.24.

And suddenly, there was a shift in responsibility in the bowling lineup. While Indian attack always implied a spin dominated attack, but the likes of Bumrah and Ishant Sharma have snatched that responsibility from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. For the pace unit, their bowling average and economy have bettered from 31.3 and 3.09 (187 wickets in 147 innings), respectively between 2015 to 2017, to 22.25 and 2.96 (215 wickets in 107 innings), respectively from 2018 onwards. Meanwhile, for the spinners, the average and economy rate have fallen from 23.47 and 2.73 (367 wickets in 155 innings), respectively between 2015 to 2017, to 25.74 and 2.80 (91 wickets in 52 innings), respectively from 2018 onwards.

In 2019, the pacers have picked 95 wickets between themselves. While their combined average of 15.16 is the best for any team's pace bowlers in a calendar year (with minimum 50 wickets), the combined strike rate of 31.06 is the best-ever for any team's pace bowlers in a calendar year with the same qualification. The pacers have also recorded the best-ever strike rate in a home season (with minimum 50 wickets) – 30.30 – surpassing the previous best of 32.6 by South Africa in 2016/17 season and 32.7 by West Indies in 2018.

India’s decade in numbers…

1. India won 56 Tests out of the 112 played and lost 29, registering a win-loss ratio of 1.931, which is the best in this decade. They won 23 off the total 36 Test series they played in this decade while four ended in a draw. And barring a historic win by England in 2012 and a draw against South Africa at the start of the decade, India won all remaining 16 Test series at home. Off the 13 contests played outside Asia, India won only four (three of which were against West Indies) and drew one (against South Africa in 2010).
2. In ODIs, India have won 157 matches off the total 249 played while losing 79 games, registering a win-loss ratio of 1.987 -- once again, the best in this decade. The Men in Blue also stands atop in matches under ICC events (World Cup and Champions Trophy) having won 29 off the total 36 matches with a win-loss ratio of 4.833.
3. In T20Is, among teams who have played more than 50-plus games this decade, India's win-loss ratio of 1.888 stands second after Afghanistan (2.120). They played 106 matches and won 58 while losing 36.
4. In terms of run-scoring, skipper Kohli ruled the charts not only in Tests and ODIs, but also in terms of international runs. Kohli has scored 20,960 runs across formats between 2010 and 2019 at an average of 57.58 with 69 centuries and 98 fifties. This makes Kohli the leading run-scorer in this decade with South Africa's Hashim Amla standing a distant second with 15,185 runs in 286 matches. Not just this, Kohli also stands 1726 runs clear of all-time second-placed Ricky Ponting (18962 runs in 363 matches between 2000 and 2009) His idol, Sachin, stands sixth in the list with 15962 runs in 301 matches between 2000 and 2009.
5. Kohli recorded 11125 runs in 227 ODI matches between 2010 and 2019, at an average of 60.79 with 42 centuries and 52 half-centuries - the best figures ever by a player considering any decade. In Tests, he scored 7,202 runs in 84 matches this decade and is the second-highest run-getter in Tests in this decade after England's Alastair Cook (8,818 runs in 111 matches). In T20Is, Kohli managed 2633 runs in 75 matches and finished the decade as the highest run-scorer in the format.
6. In terms of bowling, Ashwin bagged the top position with 564 international wickets across formats in 227 matches with 27 fi-fers and seven ten-fers (most, again). In ODIs, Jadeja is the only bowler in the top-10 wicket-taking list with 171 wickets in 145 matches, standing in the fifth position. In Tests, Ashwin stands fifth with 363 wickets in 70 games while pacer Ishant Sharma stands tenth with 238 wickets in 77 matches. In T20Is, the first Indian to appear in the wicket-taking chart is at 14th with Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal sharing the spot with 52 wickets each.