India clinched a 3-1 series win over South Africa with victory in Johannesburg on Friday (November 15). Here are the player ratings for the Men in Blue.
Sanju Samson: 9/10
216 runs @ 72, SR: 194.59
Samson scored two centuries in this series, and it seems strange to try picking holes in that kind of record. But his other two innings were ducks, as he survived just two and three balls respectively. It seems he has finally found his spot in international cricket, though.
Abhishek Sharma: 5/10
97 runs @ 24.25, SR: 173.21
In classic Abhishek Sharma style, the Punjab batter was all or nothing in this series, although perhaps a touch too close to nothing for comfort. After single-digit scores in the first two matches, he laced 50 and 36 in the last two, both at exactly two runs a ball. A decent-if-not-great showing, Abhishek did leave a few runs on the table.
Read more: Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma slam centuries to help India achieve Full Member first
Suryakumar Yadav: 3/10
26 runs @ 8.66, SR: 86.66
'SKY' got to bat thrice in the series, but didn't look his usual self at any point. In the second and third T20I, he fell to South Africa rookie Andile Simelane. By and large, he manoeuvred his bowlers well on the field, but was certainly a letdown with his primary skill.
Tilak Varma: 9.5/10
280 runs @ 140, SR: 198.58
Tilak could virtually do no wrong in this series. He hit 33 off 18 balls in the first game and a run-a-ball 20 in the second, both decent but not exceptional knocks. But in the next two, Tilak asked for the No.3 spot and delivered in style. With back-to-back unbeaten tons, the stylish left-hander became only the second India player to do so, and showcased the more brutal side of his game.
Hardik Pandya: 6/10
59 runs @ 29.5, SR: 88.05
2 wickets @ 53.5, ER: 8.23
It was a fairly middling series for Pandya, particularly with the bat. His best score of 39* came off 45 balls, in a low-scoring game where he was attempting to farm the strike when batting with the tail. He was just about average with the ball, not picking up too many wickets but largely keeping things tight by holding up an end.
Rinku Singh: 3/10
28 runs @ 9.33, SR: 82.35
Finishers can sometimes be harshly judged in T20 cricket, given they don't often score a large volume of runs. But even when he got chances to impress, Rinku Singh didn't showcase what Indian fans know he is capable of, with knocks of 11 (10), 9 (11) and 8 (13).
Also read: Varun Chakravarthy beats Ashwin, Bishnoi to set new India T20I record
Axar Patel: 5/10
35 runs @ 17.5, SR: 120.68
3 wickets @ 15, ER: 5.6
Axar was another one who had a relatively quiet series. He played a few nice shots in the limited batting opportunities he got, and was used sparingly with the ball as well – just eight overs in four matches.
Arshdeep Singh: 8/10
8 wickets @ 15.37, ER: 8.78
Arshdeep continued to go from strength to strength in T20Is, showing off his excellent fit for the format. He became India's all-time leading wicket taker among pace bowlers, and very nearly overtook Yuzvendra Chahal for the most men's T20I wickets by an India player overall. His burst of three wickets up front in the final match meant South Africa's chase of 284 was more or less done before it could get off the ground.
Ravi Bishnoi: 7/10
5 wickets @ 22, ER: 7.33
Bishnoi also picked up where he left off from the home series against Bangladesh. While he didn't take bags of wickets, he was a solid defensive presence for India through the middle overs, making sure runs weren't being leaked.
Varun Chakravarthy: 8.5/10
12 wickets @ 11.5, ER: 8.62
Chakravarthy put up a couple of stellar performances in the first two matches, with 3-25 and 5-17. He came in for some punishment from Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in the latter two fixtures, conceding 54 and 42 runs respectively, but picking up two wickets each as well. He finished as the top wicket-taker in the series.
Ramandeep Singh: 6/10
15 runs @ 15, SR: 250
1 wicket @ 42, ER: 12.6
Ramandeep only played the last two matches of the series, bowling 3.2 overs – all in his second match – and picking up 1-42. He did hit his first ball in international cricket for six, though, and played a nice cameo of 15 off 6 balls in his first match.
Avesh Khan: 5/10
2 wickets @ 25.5, ER: 8.24
Avesh Khan was solid enough in the first T20I, picking up 2-28 even if he was a touch expensive. His figures were more economical in the second, but his 12-run over at the death helped South Africa complete a low-scoring chase.
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