Marks out of 10: Player ratings for India after the 1-1 T20I series draw with South Africa

With the first match washed out due to rain, the three-match T20I series was virtually reduced to a two-game encounter. South Africa won the second one in Gqeberha, chasing down a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, while India triumphed in the third in Johannesburg, winning by a massive 106 runs after scoring 201 batting first.

India played the same XI in both games. Here are the ratings of the 11 Indian players who featured in both the T20Is.

Shubman Gill – 1/10

8 runs @ 4, SR: 100, 0 fifties

Gill replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad in this series but failed to have any impact, getting dismissed lbw in both games. In the second match, he was out for a duck, while in the third, he fell sweeping Keshav Maharaj inside the powerplay.

Yashasvi Jaiswal – 6/10

60 runs @ 30, SR: 136.36, 1 fifty

The left-handed opener was out for a duck in the second T20I but followed it up with a quick fifty in the third. While Suryakumar Yadav found it difficult to get going, Jaiswal took the lead to keep the runs flowing.

Tilak Varma – 4/10

29 runs @ 14.50, SR: 138.09, 0 fifties

Tilak played an attacking cameo in the second game despite India losing two quick wickets. However, he wasn’t able to kick on to get a big score. In the third game, he fell first ball, trying to go after the spinner inside the powerplay.

Suryakumar Yadav – 9/10

156 runs @ 78, SR: 169.56, 1 fifty, 1 hundred

Yadav had a dream series with the bat, scoring a fifty in the second game and following it up with his fourth T20I hundred in the third. He hit eight sixes in the third match, the second-most he has hit in a T20I innings. Unfortunately, Yadav twisted his ankle while fielding in the third game in what was otherwise a perfect series for him.

Rinku Singh – 9/10

82 runs @ 82, SR: 167.34, 1 fifty

Rinku scored his first T20I half-century in the second game, taking India from 55-3 to 180-7 in the second game. Having made it to the national side on the back of his finishing abilities, Rinku showed that he can be much more than just a finisher in this series.

Jitesh Sharma – 2/10

5 runs @ 2.50, SR: 71.42, 0 fifties

Coming in to bat at No.6, Jitesh didn’t create much of an impact, failing to get into double digits in either game.

Ravindra Jadeja – 5/10

23 runs @ 11.50, SR: 143.75, 0 fifties
2 wickets @ 26.50, ER: 9.08

Jadeja was the vice-captain in this series for India. With the bat, he played a quick cameo in the second game and he was accurate with his left-arm spin. His economy rate of 9.08 doesn’t do justice to how tight he was, barring a couple of errors which were deposited for sixes.

Kuldeep Yadav – 9/10

6 wickets @ 7.16, ER: 7.37

Kuldeep was the highest wicket-taker in the series, ending it with a five-for in the third game that single-handedly wiped out the South African batting lineup. Replacing Ravi Bishnoi in the XI from the last series against Australia, Kuldeep has given the team management a nice headache of who their first-choice spinner is going to be for the T20 World Cup next year.

Arshdeep Singh – 4/10

1 wicket @ 44, ER: 11

The left-arm seamer had a terrible second game, conceding 31 runs in his two overs. He came back well in the third, bowling two overs for just 13 and taking the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen. Despite that, India will be worried with the lack of shape in his new ball spells.

Mohammed Siraj – 8/10

1 wicket @ 40, ER: 6.66

Siraj made a comeback to the T20I side after more than a year and was on the money with the new ball. He was especially unplayable in the third game, bowling a maiden to start off with. In the second match, he was the most economical seamer among both teams.

Mukesh Kumar – 6/10

3 wickets @ 18.33, ER: 11

Mukesh performed different roles in the two matches, coming in first-change in the second game and opening the bowling in the third. He was more expensive than India would have liked, but also took regular and important wickets.