India vs Sri Lanka 2020 T20I Series: India Players' Performance Ratings

India comprehensively beat Sri Lanka in the third T20 international to win the three-match series by 2-0. The men in blue wrapped up the victory in the final game in Pune by 78 runs after gunning down the visitors by seven wickets in Indore. The first game finished as a no-result in Guwahati due to excessive rains and wet outfield.

Also Read: “I Believe I Have The Ability With Bat,” Says Shardul Thakur After Heroics In Pune T20I

With the home side resting Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami for this series, the fringe players stepped up beautifully to script two resounding victories. This T20 leg played a big part in for India assembling their best combination ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year. The likes of Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, and Manish Pandey have made compelling cases for their inclusion in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand and the mega event in Australia.

Meanwhile, we take a look at the rating for each player at the end of the series against their sub-continent rivals:

Shikhar Dhawan – 7/10

Prior to this series, Shikhar Dhawan’s spot was under scrutiny, mainly because Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul flourished well leading up to this series. However, the southpaw may have locked his place for the series against the Kiwis with scores of 32 and 52. Hence, he gets a rating of seven for his exploits on his comeback.

KL Rahul – 9/10

While Shikhar Dhawan may have likely replaced KL Rahul as the opener, the latter made sure that he didn’t throw himself out of contention in the playing eleven. With scores of 45 and 54, he should find himself batting at number four against the Black Caps. The Karanataka batsman receives a rating of nine out of ten.

Virat Kohli – 8/10

The Indian captain played two crucial and quick innings of 30 and 26 respectively in two matches that played a vital role in India’s victory. In Indore, Virat Kohli hit the winning runs and in Pune, the Delhi batsman hit 26 off 17 balls while batting at number six. And of course, as a captain and as a fielder, what Kohli brings to this team is beyond comprehension. Hence, he receives a rating of 8/10.

Shreyas Iyer – 6/10

Shreyas Iyer got the tempo going in the second T20 game after two quick wickets. He shared a fiery partnership of 51 along with Virat Kohli, but lost his wicket for 34 at the doorstep of victory. Nevertheless, in the second game, he was dismissed in his second ball after hitting the first ball for a boundary.

However, since his comeback in the team, he has played several innings of substance and would be interesting to see how he performs in New Zealand and Australia, if he gets picked for the World Cup. Based on his performances against Sri Lanka, he gets a rating of six out of ten.

Manish Pandey – 7/10

Manish Pandey’s recall was long overdue and he showed his mettle straight away upon his return to the team for the second game. The middle-order batsman was drafted in the eleven for Shivam Dube and put the Indian innings back on track after they suffered a mini-collapse.

Pandey shared two strong partnerships of 42 and 37 that propelled India to a score of 201. By the end of the innings, he remained unbeaten on 31 off 18 balls that included four boundaries. Having made a significant impact in his only game in the series, he receives a rating of seven out of ten.

Sanju Samson – 4/10

The calls for the inclusion of Sanju Samson was growing with each passing series. Finally, the think-tank decided to hand the keeper-batsman his second T20 cap for India in the third game after winning the second encounter.

However, his return was short-lived, getting dismissed in the second ball after belting his first ball for a maximum. The youngster also affected only one dismissal behind the stumps, stumping out Lakshan Sandakan. He gets a rating of four on ten.

Rishabh Pant – 4/10

Rishabh Pant played just the one game, having been replaced by Sanju Samson for the third match in Pune. The southpaw remained unbeaten on 1 and affected a couple of dismissals behind the stumps. Of late, Pant has produced performances in a bid to cement his spot in the side after a brief slump.

And considering Samson, who could create no impact on his only outing, the Delhi batsman can be assured about his place in the team. He receives a rating of four on ten, based on little evidence in the series.

Shivam Dube – 2/10

Shivam Dube shot into the limelight on the backdrop of his half-century against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. He produced his best bowling performance in the shortest format against Bangladesh in Nagpur, picking up three wickets. In his only game against Sri Lanka, he neither batted nor rolled his arm to bowl.

The 26-year old took one catch during fielding and that was it. Based on his little impact, he bags a rating of two out of 10. Furthermore, reports suggest that Dube may likely get dropped for the series against Kiwis due to the return of Hardik Pandya.

Washington Sundar – 5/10

Washington Sundar hasn’t helped his case by a considerable margin in the three-match series. The off-spinner did pick three wickets in two games; however, it came at the cost of conceding momentum to the opposition for a brief period.

Nevertheless, he picked wickets at crucial junctures, especially when the Lankans threatened to run away with the game. He is unlikely to feature against New Zealand receives a rating of five out of ten based on his performance against Sri Lanka.

Shardul Thakur – 9/10

Since his cameo in Cuttack against West Indies to lead India to a series win, Shardul Thakur has enjoyed a meteoric rise. Through his performances with the bat and ball, the Mumbai pacer has fulfilled the role well in the absence of India’s first-choice pace bowlers. He finished with figures of 4-0-23-3 in the second match in Indore.

In the series finale in Pune, the 28-year old played a handy knock of 22 off 8 deliveries that included a boundary and two sixes to catapult India to a score of 201. Post that; he took two wickets, including a wicket off his first over. Thakur received the man of the match award for his all-round contribution of 22 with the bat and figures of 3-0-19-2. He gets a rating of nine out of ten.

Kuldeep Yadav – 6/10

In the year 2019, Kuldeep Yadav was in the wickets; however, he went for plenty of runs. The year 2020 was no different. The left-arm featured in the second game in Indore in which he gave his side two crucial breakthroughs in the form of Kusal Perera and Oshada Fernando.

But he also went for 38 runs in his allotted four overs. Kuldeep didn’t feature in the third game and was replaced by his spin-bowling partner, Yuzvendra Chahal. The 25-year old gets a rating of six out of ten.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 1/10

The Haryana-born leggie replaced Kuldeep Yadav for the final game of the series. Yuzvendra Chahal was earmarked to make a significant impact; however, Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva carted him for runs in their 68-run stand. He went for 33 runs in three overs with no wickets.

Nevertheless, being a frontline spinner in the format, Chahal can be banked upon to find himself in the squad for the forthcoming series against New Zealand. However, based on his performance in the only game in the series, he receives a rating of one out of ten.

Jasprit Bumrah – 7/10

Returning to the fold for the first time since last September, Jasprit Bumrah looked slightly off-colour. He finished with figures of 4-0-32-1 in the second game against the Lankans. But he found his rhythm in the third game, snapping the wicket of Danushka Gunathilaka in the first over.

Bumrah eventually finished with figures of 2-1-5-1 in Pune in the series decider. A fit and firing Jasprit Bumrah indeed flags ominous signs for the oppositions that lie ahead. He receives a rating of seven on ten. The sole wicket snapped by the 26-year old also put him on the top of the wicket-takers list for India in the shortest format.

Navdeep Saini – 8/10

Another pacer who has put himself as a frontrunner for being a long-term prospect in the Indian T20 team, Navdeep Saini receives a rating of eight out of ten. In Indore, he picked up figures of 4-0-18-2 for which Saini received the man of the match award.

In the third game, he created an equally telling impact by bagging three wickets in less than four overs. The 27-year old is another pacer in Kohli’s repertoire, who is capable of bowling unplayable yorkers and bodes as an asset for the future.

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