Post Sunday’s thrilling win over West Indies, India captain Rohit Sharma became the only Indian skipper to have led the side to two 3-0 whitewashes in T20I series. While it was a thriller and literally went down to the wire at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Rohit was his usual calm self and said that these things aren’t new to him anymore, thanks to the Indian Premier League. Opener Shikhar Dhawan was undoubtedly the star of the show as he hit a 62-ball 92.
Hindustan Times takes a look at the performance of the Indian players in the third T20I:
Rohit Sharma - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average
While the India skipper was once again brilliant when it came to showcasing his captaincy skills, the batsman failed to live up to the expectations as he faltered after starting with a boundary. But full marks to the skipper for ringing in the right changes and showing a cool attitude when the going got tough towards the end of the Windies innings with Nicholas Pooran looking to go big.
READ: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma praise youngsters after series win over Windies
Shikhar Dhawan - Rating: 9.5/10, Verdict: Excellent
The deduction of 0.5 for failing to take the team home after doing all the hard work. It was once again a brilliant knock from the opener in white-ball cricket. Criticised for failing to convert starts in the earlier games, Dhawan made it clear that he does not give too much importance to these criticisms. Even though the wicket wasn’t the easiest to bat on, he mixed caution with aggression perfectly to ensure that there was no hiccup in the chase after India lost two quick wickets.
{{/usCountry}}The deduction of 0.5 for failing to take the team home after doing all the hard work. It was once again a brilliant knock from the opener in white-ball cricket. Criticised for failing to convert starts in the earlier games, Dhawan made it clear that he does not give too much importance to these criticisms. Even though the wicket wasn’t the easiest to bat on, he mixed caution with aggression perfectly to ensure that there was no hiccup in the chase after India lost two quick wickets.
{{/usCountry}}KL Rahul - Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Poor
Flattered to deceive once again. Rahul hit a whirlwind 17 off 10 balls with four boundaries before walking back to the dugout. Rahul is known to have the talent, but getting out repeatedly after playing some crispy shots will not take him anywhere. It is surely a case of concern for the team management and he needs to be spoken to because a player of his caliber is expected to win India more games than he has in recent times.
Rishabh Pant - Rating: 9/10, Verdict: Very Good
Coming in with the scoreboard reading 45/2, Pant ensured that he had tilted the game completely in India’s favour by the time he finally got out in the 19th over. While Pant would have loved to remain at the crease when the winning runs came up, an effort to play a cheeky shot over the short third-man fielder saw him miss the ball and get bowled. He did admit at the end of the game that he had been speaking to Dhawan about how it wasn’t easy for new batsmen to come in and score on this wicket, clearly showing that he has a smart head on his shoulder and reads the situation well. The runs will augur well for him and the team when they travel to Australia next.
Manish Pandey - Rating: N/A, Verdict: N/A
Dinesh Karthik - Rating: N/A, Verdict: N/A
Krunal Pandya - Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Poor
After showing good discipline in the previous games, Krunal looked slightly off colour in the last game and also ended up missing a regulation catch off his own bowling. He looked a little hassled by the attacking intent of the Windies batsmen and seemed to lack a Plan B. Just came in and looked to fire the ball into the stumps and the ploy didn’t work on the slow wicket as the ball almost sit up for the batsmen to hit out of the park. He also bowled three wides, a cardinal sin in the shortest format of the game.
READ: Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t give undue importance to critics
Washington Sundar - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average
He did start off with the new ball and must be given a slight leeway for that, but Sundar’s overall performance with the ball was clearly not on the mark. He did pick a wicket to show for his efforts, but considering the current depth of spin bowling options in the Indian set-up, Sundar needs to up his game to cement a place in the squad of 15.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Average
Clearly off the radar ever since making a comeback post the injury break, Bhuvneshwar was once again pretty ordinary on Sunday as he failed to make any early impact. With the Australia series round the corner, Bhuvi would definitely wish to work on his game with bowling coach Bharat Arun to ensure that he is on the top of his game when India play the first T20I in Australia on November 21.
Khaleel Ahmed - Rating: 8/10, Verdict: Good
He started off in the Asia Cup as one who seemed to have talent. But in a matter of just one series, Khaleel has impressed one and all with his showing. While he has impressed with the new ball at the top of the innings, especially after paying heed to Zaheer Khan’s advice of pitching the ball up, Khaleel looked lethal with even the yorker on Sunday. It was almost as if he was bowling them at will. He will have a big role to play in the Australia series considering skipper Virat Kohli’s love for left-arm fast bowlers.
Yuzvendra Chahal - Rating: 9.5/10, Verdict: Excellent
Back in the playing XI after a brief rest, Chahal showed why he is Kohli’s go-to-man in most games as the leg-spinner finished with figures of 2/28from his 4 overs. Looking to give the ball flight to induce the false shots, Chahal’s USP is that he looks to attack even when the going is tough and that saw him become the joint highest wicket-taker for India in 2018 along with Kuldeep Yadav. Even though the Australian wickets are not known to turn, he will have a big role to play in the limited-overs series along with spin twin Kuldeep Yadav.