India vs Australia 2015-16: India’s marks out of 10 in T20Is

The Indian players boast a very impressive report cards following the T20I series against Australia.

In a week’s span, the Indian team made a remarkable turnaround as they now return from Australia with their heads high. India became the first team to whitewash Australia in their territory after the visitors beat the hosts 3-0 to lift the T20I trophy. The historic moment arrived came at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the very ground where India lost the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final against the same opponent. ALSO READ: FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia, 3rd T20I at Sydney

Despite competing hard in the first four ODIs, India ended up as the losing side but Manish Pandey’s heroics in the final ODI at Sydney helped India get a consolation win. Post that there was no looking back as India won all three games of the T20I series that followed. The two games were won when they batted first and on Sunday, India chased down the massive 197 put up by Australia. It was a complete team effort that saw India clout the whitewash. Suvajit Mustafi evaluates India’s performance and rates the players in descending order.

1. Virat Kohli, 9.5/10: After the Adelaide win, skipper MS Dhoni said, “By the time he ends his career, quite a few Australian grounds will have a stand named after him.” Dhoni was barely exaggerating. Such has been Kohli’s form. The 381 runs at 76.20 in the ODI series did not satiate his hunger and he followed that up with 199 runs in the T20I series. Not only did he score three match-defining fifties, he scored them at strike-rate of over 160. Kohli had a near perfect series and righty was adjudged the Player of the Series. ALSO READ: Virat Kohli: I can play freely in Australia

2. Rohit Sharma, 8.5/10: Like Kohli, Rohit too carried his sublime form from ODIs to the shortest format. India benefitted from the brisk starts that Rohit provided and capitalised on the platform created by him. Rohit finished with 143 runs at 47.66 at a strike-rate of 136.19.

3. Ravindra Jadeja, 8.5/10: Picked as an all-rounder, Jadeja did not have to bat. He bowled 12 overs, gave away 94 and picked 5 wickets at 18.80. He bowled at critical junctures and not only did he get the run-rate down but also chipped in with important wickets. His lion-hearted fielding deserves a special mention too.

4. Suresh Raina, 8/10: Dropped from the ODI side and adding to woes was a relatively dry domestic season but Raina once again proved the cliché right that form may be temporary but not class. Showing tremendous mental strength, Raina with a diligent 49 not out saw India home in the final T20I. He also scored an important 41 in the first game. Raina ended up with 90 runs at a strike-rate of 152.54 and proved why he is still a key to India’s limited-overs set-up.

5. Ravichandran Ashwin, 8/10: Ashwin landed in Australia as the ranked one bowler in Test cricket but after two unsuccessful outings in ODIs, he was dropped from the side. Picked again for the T20Is, the wily off-spinner lived up to his reputation of the No.2 ranked T20I bowler. Like Jadeja, he too bowled at critical stages and managed to stop the run flow. He gave away 91 runs from his 12 overs at 22.75. With teams scoring almost at 10 an over, he emerged out with an economy rate of 7.58. Not known to be a livewire on field, Ashwin also had an excellent series as a fielder.

6. Jasprit Bumrah, 8/10: It has only been a handful of days since this young lad has made his international debut but right since day one he has shown impeccable maturity. Bumrah, who was a star of the Sydney ODI win on his international debut, ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the series. With 6 wickets at 17.16 at an economy rate of under nine, Bumrah has been impressive. He has bowled to the explosive Australian openers at start of the innings and has also successfully bowled at the death. He has altered his length intelligently and has mixed his yorkers very well.

7. Yuvraj Singh, 7.5/10: Yuvraj’s comeback to the national side after a gap of almost two years was one of the talking points before the series started. The southpaw was under tremendous pressure and in the final game at SCG, just when it seemed that he would crack under it, he produced two exalted hits in the ultimate over that brought back the fondest of memories. Yuvraj played his part well as Raina shepherded India to a 198-run chase. That was not all. Yuvraj was excellent with the ball. Dhoni often brought him to the attack to produce a breakthrough and he did so. From his five overs, all Yuvi gave away was 36 runs and picked up two wickets. . In fact, both his wickets were of the dangerous Glenn Maxwell.

8. MS Dhoni, 7.5/10: If the captain gets the flak for the defeats, he also deserves the accolades during success. Dhoni is used to both but this time it is more about the latter. Dhoni got his team selection right and ahead of the ICC World T20, he made use of the opportunity to try out players in various positions. Though he did not have a huge role to play as a batsman, he played his part well on both occasions when he came out at the dying stages of an innings. All he played is 12 balls and he scored 25 runs. Though he was not at his best as a wicketkeeper, he ensured a key milestone. During this series, he went past Kumar Sangakkara and now holds the record of most stumpings in international cricket.

9. Shikhar Dhawan, 7.5/10: 73 runs at 24.33 may not look very impressive but they came at a strike-rate of 149. Dhawan struck form during the ODI series and continued the good run. Melbourne is where his wife hails from and he made his MCG outing memorable with a quick 42. Even at SCG, his early onslaught on Shaun Tait and 26 from 9-balls set the tone for the huge chase.

10. Ashish Nehra, 7/10: Back in 2007, ahead of the inaugural ICC World T20, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid pulled out of the tournament citing the reason that this format was for young legs. Years later, the thought of old school is proving to be a myth. Nehra is one man who proves it. Making a comeback at 36, the warhorse from Delhi, once again proved that he has enough left in his tank. He may have just picked 2 wickets at 48, but has an economy rate of eight an over. Mind you, he bowled most of his overs in the powerplay and then at the death. In conditions that could be termed as ‘run-fest’, the youth-experience mix of Nehra and Bumrah worked for India.

11. Hardik Pandya, 7/10: By the first look at the big stage, he comes across as a poor man’s Andre Russell but this lad does have potential to make it big. He considers himself a batting all-rounder but did not get an opportunity to wield the willow. He fielded well, bowled quick but gave away too many extras for one’s liking. He bowled a total of seven overs, gave away 78 runs at picked 3 wickets at 26. Perhaps he was a bit too overawed at the big stage but from the first look, he looks a prospect who will get better with experience and with whom India needs to be patient with.

(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, a jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sports marketer, strategist, entrepreneur,  philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)