Stats: India's golden 2023 in ODIs

In a year where much of the discourse centered around the one contest that India failed to win, it is easy to overlook the heights of what they achieved. India rounded off a great year in ODIs with a squad comprising mostly of understudies cruising to a series win in South Africa. The year 2023 started off with brushing aside Sri Lanka and New Zealand at home, followed by yet another series win in the Caribbean. Then came another dominating Asia Cup win in the 50-over format in Sri Lanka where they decimated the hosts in the final.

It was followed by the home World Cup in which they peaked during the group stage but unfortunately encountered their worst day of the tournament in the finals where they lost to Australia, who earlier in the year handed India a rare bilateral series defeat at home - a first in four years across formats. Given the existential crisis of the format (India themselves are scheduled to play just three ODIs in 2024 as per FTP), these would be numbers hard for anyone to replicate.

India's golden 2023 in ODIs in numbers

27 wins in 35 ODIs by India in 2023 is the second most by a team in a calendar year in the format, only behind Australia's 30 wins (in 35 games) in 2003. India won 14 matches batting first by an average margin of 143 runs - the highest by any side winning at least ten ODIs setting a target in a calendar year. They did not fare bad in run chases either winning 13 of those with an average margin of 96 balls to spare, the third most by a team winning at least ten ODIs chasing.

Most wins in a calendar year

Highest average margin of wins in a calendar year

Batting first

Batting second

In their third ODI in 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, they beat Sri Lanka by a mammoth 317 runs, the highest margin in ODIs and the first time in the history of the format a side won by a 300+ run margin. They emulated the feat later in the year during the World Cup when they smashed the same opponents by 302 runs at the Wankhede.

Of their 14 wins batting first, five came by a margin of 200+ runs, comfortably the most by a side in a calendar year surpassing three each by Australia in 2007 and South Africa in 2015.

Nine 350+ totals by India in 2023 is yet another record for a team in a calendar year bettering England's seven in 2019. Overall, they crossed the 300-mark 11 times out of the 19 games they batted first, just one short of England's tally in 2019.

19 hundreds scored by Indian batters in 2023 is the joint-most for a side in a calendar year equaling their own record from 2017. The most significant of the 19 was by Virat Kohli in the semifinal of the World Cup against New Zealand where he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's long standing record of most centuries in ODI cricket as well as became the first batter to reach the milestone of 50 ODI centuries. Kohli led the hundred charts for India with six - the third time he has scored as many in a calendar year which is yet another unique feat for a batter in ODIs.

Most runs for India in 2023

250 sixes smashed by India in 2023 makes them the first team to reach the landmark in a calendar year in ODIs. They finished 25 sixes ahead of South Africa who themselves managed 225 as the previous record of 209 by West Indies in 2019 now sits at a distant third. India equaled their highest tally of sixes in an ODI innings twice this year - 19 sixes against New Zealand in Indore in January which was later equaled in the semifinal at Wankhede. (They hit 19 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2013)

Skipper Rohit Sharma contributed 67 maximums out of 250 which makes it the most by an individual batter in a calendar year putting to rest AB de Villiers's record of 58 sixes in 2015.

During the course of the year, Rohit eclipsed Chris Gayle's record of 553 sixes across formats in International cricket to become the leading six hitter and sit on 582 maximums. He also overtook Gayle's two other major six hitting records - 54 sixes in World Cups and 31 in the 2023 edition alone with Gayle now relegated to the second place in both counts with 49 sixes overall and 26 sixes in 2015 edition respectively.

1584 runsscored by Shubman Gill is the seventh most by any player in a calendar year in ODIs. Gill turned 24 during the course of the year which makes his tally of 1584 runs in 2023 the third most by anyone before turning 25 behind Tendulkar's 1611 runs in 1996 and 1894 runs in 1998.

Gill scored the runs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45 and only AB de Villiers in 2015 (1193 runs, Avg 79.53, SR 137.91) has eclipsed him on both counts among the 148 batters to aggregate 1000+ ODI runs in a calendar year.

2281 partnership runsby India for the first wicket is the second highest aggregate by a team for a particular wicket in a calendar year. At the top sit 2506 runs for the second wicket by India in 1999, a year in which India scaled 300-run partnerships twice for the first time ever in the format. Of the 35 opening stands for India in 2023, 20 crossed the 50-run mark which is the most by a team for a particular wicket in a calendar year.

1523 of these 2281 runs were contributed by the pair of Rohit and Gill which is the second highest tally for a pair in a calendar year in ODIs after 1635 runs by Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in 1998.

289 wickets taken by India's bowlers in 2023 is the most by any team in a calendar year bettering their own tally of 286 wickets in 1998. India's attack picked these wicket at a strike rate of 27.4 balls per wicket which is the best for a side in a calendar year to have played at least 20 matches while their average of 23.34 is marginally bettered only by Pakistan's 22.28 in 1999. Eight five-wicket hauls is yet another feather in the cap of India's most distinguished attack surpassing the previous most of six each by Pakistan in 1990, Australia in 2004 and Sri Lanka in 2008.

Most wickets by a team in a calendar year

99 of these wickets were picked in the 11 matches in World Cup which makes it the most by a bowling attack (excluding runouts) surpassing Australia's tally of 97 wickets in their victorious 2007 campaign.

India's seam attack picked 190 wickets at 21.38 with a scalp every 24 deliveries - the strike rate unsurpassed while average only marginally bettered by Pakistan (20.89) in 1999 (Minimum 20 ODIs). The spin attack dovetailed exceptionally well with the seamers accounting for 99 wickets at 26.94 and keeping a lid on the scoring rate conceding at just 4.77 per over.

Three of their bowlers topped the 40-wicket mark while four others picked up 20+ scalps. Kuldeep Yadav led the charts with 49 wickets followed by Mohammed Siraj with 44 and Mohammed Shami with 43. Shami had the most exceptional year with 24 of his 43 wickets coming during the World Cup where he finished the leading wicket taker despite not even featuring in the initial four games. His figures of 7/57 in the semifinal is now the best for an Indian bowler in ODIs.

Most wickets for India in 2023

4 Instances of India bowling out their opponents below hundred; Sri Lanka at the receiving end of three such instances. The previous most such occurrences for a bowling side were three each by West Indies in 1993, South Africa in 2006 and Sri Lanka in 2007.

India bowled out their opponents inside the 30-over mark on not less than seven instances in 2023 making it easily the most by a team in a calendar year edging out four by Sri Lanka in 2007.