In a win that served as a perfect dress-rehearsal ahead of their T20 World Cup campaign, India edged England out to clinch the T20I series 3-2 in Ahmedabad. Here are the player ratings for the home team.
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Rohit Sharma 7.5/10
91 runs @ 30.33, strike-rate: 144.44, 1 50, HS: 63
After two relatively quiet outings, Rohit, rested for the first two T20Is, was back to his usual self in the final game, thriving in the new opening pairing with a sublime 34-ball 64, with five sixes.
KL Rahul 1/10
15 runs @ 3.75, strike-rate: 48.38, HS: 14
It was a series to forget for Rahul, who was backed as first-choice opener by the management. With scores of 0, 0, 1 and 14, he looked a pale shadow of his usually authoritative self, looking unsure in the middle and unable to score freely. With Suryakumar Yadav’s emergence and Virat Kohli’s successful promotion to opener, he might find it tough to break back into the side.
Ishan Kishan 7/10
56 runs @ 30.00, strike-rate: 146.34, 1 50, HS: 56
Rohit Sharma’s unavailability gave Kishan his much-awaited India cap, and the wicketkeeper-batsman seemed more than ready for the challenge, easing his way to a 32-ball 56 in the first game. With KL Rahul’s dwindling returns in recent times, Kishan showed he could be a realistic option for India’s future T20I plans.
Shikhar Dhawan 1/1o
4 runs @ 4.00, strike-rate: 33.33, HS: 4
As Kohli clarified in the pre-series presser, Dhawan is the designated backup opener in T20Is, and filled in for an absent Rohit Sharma in the first game, hardly creating an impact in his 12-ball, four-run stay.
Virat Kohli 9/10
231 runs @ 115.50, strike-rate: 147.13, 3 50s, HS: 80*
The India captain was back to his imperious best in the T20Is, scoring three fifties, two of which led to an India win. A thigh injury threatened his participation in the decider, but he returned to the opening spot for the first time in three years, smashing an exquisite unbeaten 52-ball 80.
Suryakumar Yadav 9.5/10
89 runs @ 44.50, strike-rate: 185.41, 1 50, HS: 57
Few Indian T20I debuts have been as impactful as Yadav’s. After scoring bucketloads of runs in domestic cricket and IPL, he integrated into international cricket seamlessly, his brazen strokeplay matching his streetsmart instincts against pace bowling. Scores of 57 and 32 demonstrated his readiness for international cricket.
Shreyas Iyer 7/10
121 runs @ 40.33, strike-rate: 145.78, 1 50, HS: 67
After a 67 in the first game at No.5, Iyer’s contributions were more muted, before he chipped in with a breezy cameo in the fourth game, scoring an 18-ball 37 from No.6. With competition hotting up in the middle order, the strain to consistently perform will now be more pronounced on him.
Rishabh Pant 5/10
102 runs @ 25.50, strike-rate: 129.11, HS: 30
After a breakthrough Test series, Pant was relatively mellow in the T20I leg, even though his scoring shots (like this one) continued to be impressive. Thrice he got out between scores of 25 and 30, but gave the necessary impetus with his cameos in the final overs while being sufficiently effective behind the stumps.
Hardik Pandya 7.5/10
86 runs @ 28.66, strike-rate: 140.98, HS: 39*; 3 wickets @ 39.33, economy: 6.94, BBI: 2-16
After spending considerable time in rehabilitation, Pandya seems to be slowly progressing to complete fitness, especially his contribution with the ball. He was typically brutal down the order, striking at 141, and sent down 17 overs, the third-highest among Indian bowlers. Perfect signs for Indian fans ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Washington Sundar 5/10
4 wickets @ 34.50, economy 8.90
One of the heroes of India’s Test series win in Australia, Sundar was a distance from his best in the T20Is, conceding at close to 9 runs per over (including a 52-run spell in the fourth game), and picking up no wickets in the last two games. With the bat, he got an opportunity in only one game.
Axar Patel 3/10
0 wickets, economy: 8.00
With Ravindra Jadeja unavailable, Axar was an obvious choice as a spin option, especially after a bumper Test series debut. However, the team composition prevented him from playing more than one game.
Shardul Thakur 8/10
8 wickets @ 21.00, economy: 9.69, BBI: 3-42
One of the stars of the series, Thakur’s performance highlighted how much he had grown as a player in the last few months. Thakur was comfortably India’s highest wicket-taker and kept chipping in with crucial breakthroughs, even though he ended up leaking a few runs to many and ending with an economy of close to 10.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar 8/10
4 wickets @ 28.75, economy: 6.38, BBI: 2-15
The wickets column might not reflect it, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a successful outing in his comeback series, including an exceptional spell in a high-scoring finale. The delivery to clean up Jason Roy in the fifth game brought back memories of the old Bhuvneshwar.
Yuzvendra Chahal 3/10
3 wickets @ 39.66, economy: 9.91, BBI: 1-34
Once India’s spin spearhead, Chahal was left out after three sub-par performances, all of which saw him take a wicket apiece without creating much impact. With more spin options emerging with each passing series, Chahal would be feeling the pinch of keeping his place.
Rahul Chahar 3.5/10
2 wickets @ 34.00, economy: 9.71, BBI: 2-35
Making a belated entry in the squad, Chahar proved to be an expensive option, picking up two wickets in as many games but leaking runs at 9.71.
T Natarajan 4/10
1 wicket @ 39.00, economy: 9.75, BBI: 1-39
Called in for the final T20I after completing his rehabilitation, Natarajan played a small part in India’s win in the final game, picking up Ben Stokes’ wicket in England’s failed chase, even though he ended up giving away 39 runs.
