On a tour where rain called the shots, India won the three-match T20I series against New Zealand 1-0, while New Zealand won the ODIs 1-0. Of the remaining four matches, three did not yield a result (one without a ball being bowled), while the other was tied on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Here is how the Indian players performed on the tour.
Ishan Kishan: 4/10
Two T20Is, 46 runs @ 23, SR 110, HS: 36
Picked only for the T20Is, Kishan began well in both matches before the New Zealand pacers curbed his scoring rate in the first match, and he holed out in the second. His time will come.
Rishabh Pant: 1/10
Two T20Is, 17 runs @ 8.50, SR 94, HS: 11; C 3 St 1
Three ODIs, 25 runs @ 12.50, SR 64, HS: 15; C 2
A nightmare tour for Pant, where he scored 42 runs in four innings across the formats. Yet, he showed glimpses of brilliance every time he batted, with at least one delightful shot per innings.
Suryakumar Yadav: 8/10
Two T20Is, 124 runs @ 124, SR 203, HS: 111*
Three ODIs, 44 runs @ 22, SR 116, HS: 38
The top-ranked T20I batter in the world lived up to his immense reputation with a fantastic hundred. However, his migration to ODIs has not been as smooth, and after 16 matches, his average stands at 32. There are not many slots up for the grabs in the Indian ODI side. With a World Cup next year, he needs to adapt quickly.
Shreyas Iyer: 8/10
Two T20Is, 13 runs @ 6.50, SR 130, HS: 10
Three ODIs, 129 runs @ 64.50, SR 96: HS: 80
Iyer’s tour was the reverse of Suryakumar’s – a star in one format not being at his best in another. In the history of men’s ODIs, only AB de Villiers has more runs and average and strike rate than Iyer: his ODI outings – 80 in 76 balls, 49 in 59 – lived up to those numbers.
Shikhar Dhawan: 6/10
Three ODIs, 103 runs @ 34.33, SR 78, HS: 72
For years, Dhawan has been one-half of a prolific opening pair in ODIs (or one-third of a great top three). Now, as the years have caught on, he is still getting runs, but not as quickly. Until 2021, he used to strike at 94; this year, the number reads 75. And now, he has competition…
Shubman Gill: 7/10
Three ODIs, 108 runs @ 54, SR 84, HS: 50
… in the form of Gill, who averages 70.88 this year and strikes at 103. With Dhawan not getting any younger, the Indian selectors are likely to invest in youth, particularly someone this prolific.
Deepak Hooda: 3/10
Two T20Is, 9 runs @ 9, SR 90, HS: 9*; 4 wickets @ 3.25, ec 3.39, BBI: 4-10
Two ODIs, 12 runs @ 12, SR 48, HS: 12
To be fair, only once on the tour did Hooda get a chance to prove himself, in the third ODI: he failed. That 4-10 was his highlight of the tour, but three of those wickets came after New Zealand, chasing 192, were 125-7 in the second ODI.
Sanju Samson: 5/10
One ODI, 36 runs @ 36, SR 95, HS: 36
On this tour, Samson’s absence attracted more news space than his presence. He made a 38-ball 36 in the first ODI – his only outing. It was a decent performance, but one had probably expected him to score quicker in the death overs.
Hardik Pandya: 8/10
Two T20Is, 43 runs @ 43, SR 139, HS: 30*
Pandya slowed down in the first T20I, but his cameo in the second match helped India seal a tie and clinch the series, further staking his claim as a future captain in the shortest format. He did not bowl and missed the ODIs.
Washington Sundar: 8/10
One T20I, 0 run; 2-0-24-1
Three ODIs, 88 runs @ 88, SR 110, HS: 51; 13-0-58-0
After an insipid outing in his lone T20I, Sundar rose to the task in the ODIs, blasting a 16-ball 37 not out in the first match and top-scoring with 51 in the third. He was also India’s only economical bowler in the first match. India need all-rounders, and his time will come.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 6/10
Two T20Is, 1 wicket @ 47, ec 6.71, BBI: 1-12
Bhuvneshwar spent the T20Is being Bhuvneshwar, bowling to a stifling line and not conceding runs inside the powerplay. At one point, his series figures read 5.5-0-26-1 – before his last seven balls went for 21.
Arshdeep Singh: 5/10
Two T20Is, 4 wickets @ 16.50, ec 9.42, BBI: 4-37; C 4
Two ODIs, 13-1-89-0
Despite going for runs, Arshdeep took vital wickets in the final T20I (that 4-37 is now his career-best haul) to restrict New Zealand to 160. He also gets a bonus point for holding four catches. Unfortunately, the transition to ODIs has not been smooth, even in conditions that aided seam bowling.
Yuzvendra Chahal: 3/10
Two T20Is, 2 wickets @ 30.50, ec 8.71, BBI: 2-26
Three ODIs, 10-0-67-0
Chahal’s only performance of note came in the second T20I – after India had virtually sealed the match. He did not look threatening in the ODIs.
Mohammed Siraj: 8/10
Two T20Is, 6 wickets @ 6.83, ec 5.12, BBI: 4-17
Siraj’s 4-17 in the third T20I was easily the best spell for India on the tour. New Zealand, 130-2 at one point, were bowled out for 160. Siraj, having taken a wicket, claimed three more – and added a run out to the mix.
Harshal Patel: 5/10
One T20I, 3.4-0-28-1
Harshal impressed in his only appearance. While Arshdeep and Siraj shared the spoils, Harshal stuck to the basics, not allowing the New Zealand batters to cut loose despite their impressive start.
Deepak Chahar: 1/10
Two ODIs, 5-0-30-0
Rain prevented Chahar from bowling in the second ODI, but did not impress in the third ODI either.
Shardul Thakur: 1.5/10
One ODI, 9-1-63-1
Just as unimpressive as Chahar, Thakur gets half a point for taking a wicket.
Umran Malik: 4/10
Three ODIs, 3 wickets @ 32.33, ec 6.46, BBI: 2-66
Umran was fast, and often had the New Zealand batters hurrying for pace. He was erratic at times, is often the case with tearaway bowlers, but he took three of the four wickets taken by Indians in the ODI series.
