Stokes's 258 to Kohli's 82*: Top 10 knocks of 2016

Kusal Mendis 8 and 176 against Australia in Pallekele

When Australia landed in Sri Lanka, talks had already started about how there's going to be trial by spin. However, it was the Australia bowlers calling the shots in the first innings of the first Test. Sri Lanka were shot down for 117 after a clinical performance from the Australian bowlers. Australia did throw away the advantage gained by the bowlers by accumulating just 203 but it was Kusal Mendis who drove home the advantage with a 254-ball 176 on a difficult track. Runs didn't come easy for Mendis even with the Australian spinners failing to make the most of helpful conditions. With sound technique to his rescue, he did well in not getting into a shell - something that can easily happen with the team down and out. "The key point I thought was Kusal Mendis' innings - that was the turnaround for the whole series," Angelo Mathews went on the say after the series that Sri Lanka won 3-0. Says something about the innings, doesn't it?

Ben Stokes 258 and 26 against South Africa in Cape Town

Opting to bat in the bright and sunny conditions in Cape Town, England found themselves struggling at 223 for 5. And yet they go on to post 629 for 6. Ben Stokes smashes a 198-ball 258 while Jonny Bairstow strokes an unbeaten 150. This was the second fastest double ton in Tests, an innings played with such head-masterly authority that it forced the fans from the other side stand up and applaud. "See ball, hit ball is the only way to describe it," Stokes said about his innings that saw 30 hits to the fence and 11 over it. Most of it from Stokes was jaw-dropping, flaying the bowlers' confidence hit-by-hit. The match ended in a draw but Stokes stormed his way into the record books.

Karun Nair 303 not out against England in Chennai

Karun Nair was on 69 when he saw KL Rahul lob a nothing delivery from Adil Rashid to point to fall for 199. As Rahul walked by, Nair stood at the other end shaking his head. Disappointed and distraught about what his Karnataka teammate had done. Little did anyone know that Nair would go on to convert his maiden Test century to 303 not out and become only the second Indian to join the triple centurion club along with Virender Sehwag. There was something about Nair's innings that struck the viewers - the nonchalant ease with which he went about accumulating runs. His hundreds came off 185, 121 and 75 balls before India decided to declare. Nair was playing just his third Test. His first two had yielded just 4 and 13. "It all started with the triple century in the Ranji Trophy final. That changed me as a batsman," he had told Cricbuzz ahead of the start of the season. This statement also leaves one wondering, if a triple century in a first-class game can do so much to a player, what wonders a Test triple ton can do for Nair.

Virat Kohli 167 and 81 against England in Visakhapatnam

In what has been a magnificent year for Virat Kohli, the toughest job you can give a person is picking one, just one, of his innings to make it to this list. Kohli scored three double centuries, his 49 in the first Test in Rajkot as crucial as his double ton in Mumbai, but his innings in Visakhapatnam still makes it ahead of them. A look at the venue's history is a must. Amit Mishra dismantled New Zealand in the fifth and final ODI at the same venue where they folded for 79. In the two Ranji Trophy matches played at the venue ahead of the second Test, the highest score from a team was 274. Coming into the game, India were on the backfoot in Rajkot and when the Test did start, the scoreboard read 22 for 2 when Kohli walked out to bat. Kohli and Pujara not only countered the new ball threat, they nullified the spinners to add 226 for the third wicket to get India into a position of strength. On a difficult track, Kohli's century came off 154 balls as India posted 455. England folded for 255. When Kohli walked out to bat in the second innings, India were 17 for 2. He kept losing partners in his innings of 81, an innings where the second highest scored was 26, but ensured India build a huge lead to bury England under a mountain of runs before cantering to a 246-run win.

David Warner 173 in the fifth and final ODI against South Africa in Cape Town

Nothing had gone Australia's way in that series and coming into the final game of the series, they were already 0-4 down. They were without their frontline bowlers and South Africa managed to post 327 for 8 in the final game. In one of the most brutal ODI innings of 2016, David Warner blasted 136-ball 173 even when Australia went down by 31 runs. Warner was at his sublime best and went on to score more than 58 percent of the runs in an innings where he received no support at all with only Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head chipping in with 35 each. He faced the first ball and fell in the 48th over before Australia eventually ran out of steam.

Quinton de Kock 178 in the first ODI against Australia in Centurion

In a batting line-up that boasts of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock has quickly established himself and the wrecker-in-chief. Chasing 295, de Kock's 113-ball 178 not only helped Australia ease past the target but also set the template for the series that South Africa won 5-0. De Kock collaborated with Rilee Rossouw to score 145 in 17 overs to make a solid start. The former continued to flay the bowlers with ease and reached his century off 74 balls to bat Australia out of the contest.

Rohit Sharma 171 in the first ODI against Australia in Perth

If you are going to watch India play, one thing that is a must in your list is Rohit Sharma pulling the ball. A pacer delivering a hostile bouncer, on a bouncy track, a delivery that climbs on Rohit but he goes back just in time to pull it with ease for a boundary. This is an experience. The effortlessness in that shot is just incredible. Rohit's 171 in Perth had just one pull shot that went for a six and more of low full tosses tonked over the mid-wicket fence for sixes but that pull shot came early on in the innings. It was his second scoring shot, and was just enough to make you believe that things were looking ominous for the hosts. He received ample support from Kohli and India went on to post 309. However, centuries from Steve Smith and Aaron Finch meant Australia eased past the target.

Carlos Brathwaite 34 not out in the World T20 Final against England in Kolkata

World Cup wins don't come easy. And when Carlos Brathwaite hammered those four consecutive sixes off Stokes in the final over of the final, it acted as the balm for the off-field difficulties the players had been going through. When Brathwaite hit the second six, Stokes stood in the middle, clueless about what to do next. The third six - a mistimed one at that - saw Stokes on his haunches knowing England have lost the title. 19 needed off the final over, Brathwaite hammered four sixes to finish the job with clinical disdain towards the critics, the opposition and those who thought West Indies was a team of 'brainless individuals'. Even the most cynical fans would be hard pressed not to celebrate the West Indies win and Brathwaite's heroics. It was a performance like no other, one of the ages.

Virat Kohli 82 not out in the World T20 group clash against Australia in Mohali

"Whenever we are chasing and I'm in the middle, I just check my heartbeat. If I have a normal heartbeat, I know that I'm in control and can think well." These are the words Kohli has used umpteen number of times on being asked what makes him a chaser supreme. In a do-or-die clash in Mohali, Kohli stroked an unbeaten 82 to single-handedly lead India into the semifinal of the World T20. We would never know if Kohli's heartbeat was normal in chase as he saw his partners get starts but not converting them, and the required rate climbing over 13. To watch Kohli bat under such circumstances was a different experience all together. Not many drive the ball as authoritatively as Kohli does in world cricket at the moment. Just like his drive, he stamped his authority over Australia to knock them out of the contest even when it seemed the visitors were getting on top. After steadying the innings with Yuvraj Singh, he made a mockery of the chase in the end to add 67 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to ease India past the finishing line.

Marlon Samuels 85 not out in the World T20 final against England in Kolkata

As brash as he sounded after the win, it was his brashness on the field, with the bat in hand, that helped West Indies clinch their second World T20 title. In chase of 156, West Indies lost their bashers - Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles - to the off spin of Joe Root. Lendl Simmons, the hero in the semifianl, contributed a nought while Dwayne Bravo looked far from his best. Before Braithwate's four sixes stole the show, it was Samuels's grit that stood out in giving West Indies a chance. Even when the big hitters failed, he ensured the boundaries flowed to keep his team in the hunt. He struck the highest score in a World T20 final and took the team to a memorable win to shut his critics in some style.