IND vs SA: 2023 Was One Of The Best Years In Indian Cricket History - Irfan Pathan

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan reflected on Team India’s performance in the year 2023. He believes that it was a terrific year for the team as they played an exciting brand of cricket and achieved some great things.

India team were one of the top performers in all three formats in the year 2023. They displayed some impressive performances in all three formats and achieved some great heights. However, they failed to get the ultimate glory.

India started the year with an ODI series win against New Zealand and Sri Lanka and then followed it up with a Test series victory against Australia. They won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by the margin of 2-1 before losing the ODI series against Australia.

However, they failed to win the ICC World Test Championship Final. The Rohit Sharma-led side lost the final against Australia and it was a massive heartbreak for them. After that, they traveled to the Caribbean and won the Test series there.

India also had a decent outing in the ODI series against West Indies but lost the T20I series. The Rohit Sharma was at their rampaging best in the Asia Cup, defeating the likes of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and others.

Following that India thumped Australia in the ODI series and entered ICC World Cup 2023 on a high. They had a sensational outing in the tournament as they were the most dangerous team in the league stage, winning 10 out of the 10 games.

They defeated New Zealand in the semi-final but suffered a disappointing defeat in the final against Australia. Although they didn’t win the cup, many were in awe of the way they played in the tournament and the kind of show they displayed.

Irfan Pathan feels that it was a great year for the Indian team apart from losing the ICC World Cup 2023. He lauded the team for having the highest winning percentage in ODIs. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

“It has been a terrific year for Indian cricket. The way we won games, especially in ODIs. This time we had the highest win percentage in Indian cricket history. I think 2023 has been one of the best in our history. Yes, we will look at the loss in the final of the World Cup, we still missed a chance to win the title.”

IND vs SA: Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, people didn’t think India were the contenders – Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan further highlighted the positives for the Indian team in 2023. He pointed out the kind of impact Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli had for the team.

Irfan Pathan further lauded the Indian team, saying that no one gave them a chance to win the World Cup ahead of Asia Cup 2023. But they proved everyone wrong. He explained:

“But there have been a lot of positives. We saw Virat Kohli returning to his best, and Shubman Gill having a record-breaking year. Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, people didn’t think India were the contenders. But after the Asia Cup things changed positively and the way we performed, I think it was a fantastic year for the Indian team.”

In 2023, cricket sparkled with standout moments for both men’s and women’s teams. @IrfanPathan and #SunilGavaskar weigh in on #TeamIndia's dazzling 2023! ????#Cricket pic.twitter.com/vjcrdwry6t

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 31, 2023

India team are currently locking horns with South Africa in the two-match Test series. They suffered an innings and 32 runs defeat in the first game and would be hoping to make a comeback in the second match.