Cricket 2016: Virat Kohli Rules Indian Cricket, BCCI Awaits Supreme Court Ruling

The rise and rise of Virat Kohli has been the most dominating topic in Indian cricket in 2016, on the field. Off it, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) being buffeted and battered by Supreme Court and Lodha Panel has been the talk of the town, as the tormented Anurag Thakur and Co try to salvage their pride and position.

Kohli Mania

Kohli did almost everything right in the past one year. From being of World T20 Player of the Tournament to ending as the highest run-scorer in Indian Premier League to becoming the first Indian Test captain to score three double tons in a year, the 28-year-old has gone from strength to strength.

His batting prowess aside, the year saw Kohli maturing as Indian Test captain. Under him India are now unbeaten in 18 Tests - the most ever in history. He seems to be showing the same Midas touch of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, of the old.

Kohli's in-your-face attitude and constant hunger to lead by example has truly inspired the Indian team members. He has also backed the young crop -- the fresh talents of KL Rahul, Jayant Yadav, and Karun Nair -- making the Indian Test team quite the contingent to reckon with.

It may be time that Kohli gets to lead the Indian team across all formats. Dhoni's presence in the team is always needed, as he still has the ability to finish matches (as seen during the New Zealand ODI series win). But if Kohli gets to captain the side, with Dhoni in it, he can get valuable inputs from the man who guided India to the 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup, and 2016 Asia Cup wins.

With the Champions Trophy in June, 2017, it might be the best time for a fresh start.

BCCI-Lodha conundrum

Things are not as bright for BCCI off the field. The Supreme Court-appointed Lodha panel recommended several administrative reforms like age cap, tenure restrictions, one state-one vote to BCCI.

However, the national cricket body has time and again said that its member associations are not ready to accept the Lodha recommendations in full. This has irked the Supreme Court which has rebuked the BCCI for dilly-dallying the implementation of the suggested reforms.

The Supreme Court has also asked BCCI president Anurag Thakur to prove that he has not committed perjury, stating that he misrepresented in front of the court when asked if he had asked the world body, the International Cricket Conference (ICC), to take a stand about appointment of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) representative in BCCI.

A new administrative panel is also likely to be set up by the Supreme Court and the decision on it will come in the first week of January. So, it might be a blockbuster new year for Indian cricket administration.

But it never is cut and dried when it come to the BCCI. So there may be more interesting twists and turns in this already complex plot.