India vs West Indies: Team India Report Card - How Virat Kohli and Co. fared at Guwahati in 1st ODI

The captain and vice-captain took control of the chase after Shikhar Dhawan’s early dismissal and posted a stand of 246 runs for the second wicket against a hapless Windies attack.

Shimron Hetmyer peeled off his 3rd century as an improved performance by the West Indies saw them post 322 in the first innings. Competitive total one thought, not remotely as close for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Guwahati: Indian cricket team Captain Virat Kohli celebrates with teammates during the first One Day International cricket match against West Indies, at ACA Cricket Stadium, Barsapara in Guwahati(PTI)

The captain and vice-captain took control of the chase after Shikhar Dhawan’s early dismissal and posted a stand of 246 runs for the second wicket against a hapless Windies attack. India sauntered home with 8 wickets to spare with almost eight overs remaining.

However, despite this dominant performance, there were few areas of concern and we try to rate the players accordingly.

Rohit Sharma – Rating: 10/10, Verdict: Excellent

Rohit Sharma has been a prolific run-scorer for India in white ball cricket for quite some time now and is perhaps, the most dominant opening batsman going around in this format.

It was not an entirely fluent start as he allowed Kohli to take charge, but once he went past his 50, he broke free and annihilated the Windies bowling attack. Clean, crisp strokes flowed from his bat and he remained unbeaten on 152 as India galloped past the target.

Shikhar Dhawan – Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Poor

On a flat pitch where the bounce was very true and the bowling not very menacing, Dhawan started off with a confident slash past covers, but then could not account for a pacy rising delivery from debutant Oshane Thomas as he lost his stumps. A chance missed for the left-hander.

Virat Kohli - Rating: 9/10, Verdict: Excellent

India’s top three have been the best in the world over the past 12-15 months and this chase was no different. Even when India lost an early wicket, there seemed to inevitability in the way Virat Kohli walked out and hit the ground running. A flurry of boundaries surfaced as the chase motored along. He notched up his 36th ton, but we have to dock one point primarily because he could not finish the job!

Ambati Rayudu - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

He keeps doing what has been assigned to him and Guwahati was no different. After Kohli and Rohit posted 246 runs for the second wicket, Rayudu had nothing much to do, but he looked secure at the crease and this augurs well for the team going forward. Also, he had a good day as an outfielder, which is always a great trait to have.

Rishabh Pant - Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Very Poor

The young man was handed his ODI cap by MS Dhoni. He did not get the opportunity to bat and stake his claim as a batsman in the middle order. However, he was quite ordinary in the field, he even shelled a catch and never looked at home without the gloves. Few lessons learnt for sure!

MS Dhoni - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average

Back with the gloves, MS Dhoni was like his usual self behind the stumps. The Indian bowling was not very threatening, hence he had only one catch to show for his efforts, but he was quite vocal when the spinners were on. Bigger tests await.

Ravindra Jadeja - Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Poor

The all-rounder was preferred over Kuldeep Yadav, primarily because he is a brilliant fielder and is handy with the bat lower down the order. However, with the ball, Jadeja was not very impressive and gave away 66 runs in his 10 overs and could only pick a couple of wickets.

Mohammad Shami - Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Shami is an enigma on his best days, and Guwahati was certainly not one of his best days under the sun. Yes, he was pacy, and hostile, yes, he got wickets with the new ball, but he lacked control and was taken for plenty of runs.

81 runs in 10 overs for 2 wickets is certainly not what the captain wants from the leader of the bowling attack.

Umesh Yadav - Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Average

It was a comeback of sorts for Umesh Yadav in the ODI setup and like Shami, it was a very jittery performance. He could not get a single wicket and gave away 64 runs in 10 overs.

Khaleel Ahmed - Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Poor

Virat Kohli and the Indian management want to give Khaleel and extended run because they want to test a left-armer before the World Cup. However, the young man did not have a good game. He tried to change things up and mix and match his pace, but this not yield too much for him.

64 runs in 10 wickets for only 1 wicket. He needs to improve and improve fast.

Yuzvendra Chahal - Rating: 8/10, Verdict: Very Good

On a day when the batsmen had an absolute party, Yuzvendra Chahal was sedate and frugal. He had the control and the variations to keep the Windies batting honest and his figures vindicate his effort.

41 runs in 10 overs for 3 wickets is an effort which needs to be applauded and it reiterated the fact that attacking wrist-spinners are the way forward in limited overs.