India vs Australia: 3rd ODI report card – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan let India down

Here’s a look at how the Indian players performed against Australia in the third ODI in Ranchi on Friday.

Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami pulled the third ODI in India’s favour beautifully by taking the wickets of the openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, however, the batsmen apart from Virat Kohli failed to come to the party and India fell short of Australia’s total by 32 runs in Ranchi on Friday.

File image of Rohit Sharma.(AP)

The Indian bowlers did a great job to restrict Australia to 313/5 after the visitors were running away with the game when they were at 193/0.

Let’s take a look at how the eleven Indian players performed in this clash.

Shikhar Dhawan – Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Very Poor

Shikhar Dhawan continued his poor form as he managed just one run in the third ODI against Australia. The Delhi batsman cut a delivery off Jhye Richardson to Glenn Maxwell in the fourth over of the innings. India may look to bring in KL Rahul instead of Dhawan in the next match.

Rohit Sharma – Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Very poor

Rohit Sharma seemed to be in good touch when he struck two boundaries and a six, however, he was trapped LBW by Pat Cummins in the fifth over for a score of 14. The Mumbai batsman hasn’t scored a half-century in his last five ODI innings.

Virat Kohli – Rating: 10/10, Verdict: Excellent

Virat Kohli scored another brilliant century in the third ODI. The India skipper seems to have worked out a formula which helps him score centuries on a consistent basis. Kohli, who scored 123 runs off 95 balls, was the only Indian batsman to notch a fifty-plus score. However, Kohli was dismissed by Adam Zampa yet again. The Indian captain will be hoping to win the battle against the leg-spinner in the next match.

Ambati Rayudu – Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Very Poor

Ambati Rayudu has failed for the third consecutive innings in this series. The number four batsman managed just two runs before he was bowled out by Pat Cummins. Following his wicket, India were tottering at 27/3. The Indian team management may start looking for a replacement for Rayudu, if he continues put up poor performances.

MS Dhoni – Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Poor

MS Dhoni has orchestrated several chases in the recent past, but he couldn’t continue his rich vein of form in this match. He played an innings of 26 runs from 42 balls before he was bowled out in the 20th over. Following Dhoni’s departure, Kohli didn’t have too many partners at the other end.

Kedar Jadhav – Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Poor

Kedar Jadhav, who was India’s star batsman in the first ODI, couldn’t provide enough support to Virat Kohli. He got a start of 26 runs before he was trapped LBW by Adam Zampa. Jadhav strung a partnership of 88 runs with Virat Kohli and therefore his wicket was a crucial one for the visitors.

Vijay Shankar – Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

Vijay Shankar put up an average performance with ball and bat in the third ODI. The fast bowler conceded at an economy rate of 5.50 in his eight-over spell, but didn’t return with a wicket. When he came out to bat at 174/5, Shankar played positively for his 32 runs from 30 balls.

Ravindra Jadeja – Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Poor

Ravindra Jadeja had a disappointing day on the field in the third ODI. The spinner conceded 64 runs in his 10-over spell without picking up a wicket. Surprisingly, Jadeja was below par in the fielding department as well. He had a chance to make up for his mistakes with the bat, but managed just 24 runs.

Kuldeep Yadav – Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Kuldeep Yadav was India’s best bowler in this match. The chinaman bowler, who returned with figures of 3/64, picked up wickets at crucial times for the team. Kuldeep’s bowling efforts helped India restrict Australia to a total below 350. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer got the wickets of Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb in the same over (44th over), which turned the match in India’s favour.

Mohammed Shami – Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

Mohammed Shami bowled brilliantly in the third ODI, but wasn’t rewarded with wickets. He returned with figures of 1/52 in his 10-over spell. However, the fast bowler kept India in the game with the wicket of Usman Khawaja and putting the brakes on the runs being scored.

Jasprit Bumrah – Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

Jasprit Bumrah didn’t have the best of days in this match. The fast bowler bowled at a good economy rate of 5.30, but failed to pick up wickets. With Shami getting hit on the shin early on in the Australian innings, it was Bumrah’s responsibility to provide an early wicket, but the Australian opening batsmen batted for 31.5 overs.