India vs New Zealand: 3rd T20I report card – Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni fail to take India over the line

Here’s a report card of the Indian players from the third T20I against New Zealand.

Even though New Zealand posted a huge total of 212/4, the Indian team still had a great chance to chase it down and win the T20 series 2-1. However, India lost wickets at crucial moments of the match and fell short of the total by four runs in Hamilton on Sunday.

Dinesh Karthik bats during the third T20I against New Zealand. (AP)

Here’s a report card of the Indian players from the third T20I:

Rohit Sharma – Rating: 6/10, Verdict: Good

Rohit Sharma couldn’t find the groove during his 32-ball innings. However, the opening batsman kept India in the game by staying in the middle and putting away the loose deliveries. Rohit struck three fours in his 38-run knock. But after taking India to 141/4, he went for a big shot against Daryl Mitchell and nicked the ball to wicket-keeper Tim Seifert.

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

Shikhar Dhawan failed to come to the party in this crunch final. The Delhi batsman hasn’t had a great tour of New Zealand and he will have to quickly find form before the all-important World Cup. He presented a catch to Mitchell in the first over and was out for 5 runs in this match.

Vijay Shankar – Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Vijay Shankar provided the much needed boost at the number three position with a 28-ball 43-run innings. The Tamil Nadu cricketer struck five boundaries and two sixes in his innings. After stringing a 75-run stand with Rohit Sharma, Shankar swept a delivery straight to Colin de Grandhomme in the ninth over.

Rishabh Pant – Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average

Rishabh Pant looked like he could take India home in the match but was dismissed after a cameo innings. Pant smashed 28 runs off 12 balls, which included one four and three sixes. However, he couldn’t get hold of a full toss from Blair Tickner and presented a catch to Kane Williamson in the 13th over.

Hardik Pandya – Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average

Hardik Pandya also struck the ball well during his innings, but couldn’t stay in the middle until the end. He played an innings just like Pant’s, with a score of 21 runs from 11 balls. Pandya struggled with the ball, conceding 44 runs in his quota of 4 overs.

MS Dhoni – Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Very poor

MS Dhoni had a very disappointing outing with the bat in a crunch chase. The Indian team depends on the experienced player to deliver in important matches, but, Dhoni couldn’t continue his good form in this match. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored two runs off four balls. However, Dhoni effected one stumping and one catch with the gloves.

Dinesh Karthik – Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average

Dinesh Karthik has owned the finisher’s role in the Indian T20 side since the Nidahas Trophy last year. He got going brilliantly in this match, but a slight misjudgment in the last over could have been the reason behind India’s loss in the match. After playing out a dot ball in the second delivery of the final over, Karthik refused an easy single in the very next ball. Krunal Pandya, who was striking the ball well, could have had a chance to take India home, since the equation would have been 13 runs from 3 balls. Karthik remained not out on 33 from 16 balls.

Krunal Pandya – Rating: 6/10, Verdict: Good

Krunal Pandya played an excellent innings to keep India in the game till the very last over. He smashed 26 runs from 13 balls - an innings which included two boundaries and two sixes. But when India needed 12 runs from 2 balls to level the scores, Krunal couldn’t find a big hit. The Gujarat cricketer was the most expensive Indian bowler in the match with an economy rate of 13.50.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average

Bhuvneshwar Kumar failed to find a breakthrough early on in the innings for India. The New Zealand opening batsman put on 80 runs in 7.4 overs. The speedster conceded 37 runs in his four overs and picked up only one wicket in the penultimate over of the innings.

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

Kuldeep Yadav pulled things back for the visitors with the wickets of Tim Seifert and Colin Munro in the 8th and 14th overs respectively. The chinaman bowler was economical as well, conceding just 26 runs in his four overs. Unfortunately, Kuldeep didn’t get much support from the other end.

Khaleel Ahmed – Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Very poor

Khaleel Ahmed was on the expensive side once again, conceding 47 runs in his quota of four overs. The fast bowler picked up the key wicket of Kane Williamson, but was struck for six fours and two sixes in the innings. The Rajasthan cricketer will have to go back to the drawing board to ensure that he comes back stronger in the next series.