India vs West Indies, ODI Series: India Squad Performance Rating

The Indian team completed 2019 by defeating West Indies in the third and final ODI to claim the ODI series. The men in blue also started the year by defeating Australia 2-1 in their backyard. By winning in Cuttack, the men in blue bounced back from the loss in the first match to beat a tough Windies side by 2-1 margin. Virat Kohli’s men scaled the chase of 316 in the final encounter on the back of a sensational opening stand of 122 by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

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India suffered a minor blip in the middle-order when Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, and Rishabh Pant went back cheaply. However, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur didn’t bungle the chase and made sure that India see themselves over the finish line. During the competitive three-match series, almost all the players stepped forward in the playing eleven.

We take a look at the rating each player received at the end of the series.

Rohit Sharma – 9/10

The Indian limited-overs vice-captain started the series in a scratchy way in Chennai. With 36 off 56 balls in a losing effort, Rohit Sharma failed to provide a blazing start that the Indian team was used to all these years. The flamboyant right-hander found his stride in the second ODI in Vishakhapatnam in which he mustered 159 as India piled up 387 in their allotted fifty overs.

He received the man of the match award in the second game and will end 2019 as the highest run-getter in ODIs with 1428 runs. With that mammoth a score, the home side came back strongly to level the series. In the series finale, Rohit hit a crucial fifty and built a stand of 122 along with KL Rahul to set the tone for a daunting chase of 316. With 257 runs in the series and stepping up in crucial games along with being the man of the series, the Mumbai batsman receives a rating of nine out of ten.

KL Rahul – 8/10

KL Rahul may have shut the doors on Shikhar Dhawan with his performances in the ongoing series against the men from the Carribean. He failed in the first game, having scored only six off 15 deliveries. In a must-win second game, Rahul joined hands with Rohit Sharma and threaded an opening stand of 227. He got dismissed for 102 but not before setting the platform for a behemoth total.

In the series-decider, KL Rahul yet again scored a patient half-century to spearhead India’s chase of 316. The right-hander will finish 2019 with 572 runs in 13 ODIs at a healthy average of 47.66. With 185 runs from three games against West Indies with a hundred and a fifty, the Karnataka batsman receives a rating of eight out of ten.

Virat Kohli – 7/10

The Indian captain and the number one batsman in ODIs shockingly endured a lean run by his standards. Virat Kohli was dismissed for scores of 4 and 0 in the first and the second game respectively. However, he gets a rating of seven solely based on his knock of 85 in the final match of the series. Kohli arrived at the crease at the dismissal of Rohit Sharma at 122 from where the encounter seemed within India’s reach.

Nevertheless, their middle-order suffered a wobble and Kohli had to play responsibly to see India through. He formed a partnership of 58 along with Ravindra Jadeja, but couldn’t close the game for India. However, he had just done enough as Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja completed the run-chase to secure the series for India. For his crucial knock of 85, Virat Kohli received the man of the match award. He will finish 2019 as the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs with 1377 runs from 26 games.

Shreyas Iyer – 8/10

Shreyas Iyer has been a revelation at the number four position for India post World Cup 2019. The 25-year old came to the party after West Indies struck early in the first game to send the top three back to the pavilion. Iyer crafted a patient knock of 70 and added 114 for the fourth wicket along with Rishabh Pant to put the Indian innings back on track.

In the second game, the youngster switched latched on to the Windies’ bowling attack and made 53 off just 32 balls. By putting on 73 off only 25 balls along with Pant, Iyer was integral in propelling India to 387. Sadly, he couldn’t make a significant difference in the third game as he made only seven before getting dismissed. Despite that, he receives a rating of eight out of 10 for playing two crucial knocks according to the situation.

Rishabh Pant – 6/10

Rishabh Pant entered the series under immense pressure as a result of not playing any notable knocks and fumbling behind the stumps on quite a few occasions. However, the 21-year old thoroughly stepped up during the series against the men in maroon, earning himself a new lifeline.

The 21-year old top-scored with 71 and formulated a partnership of 114 along with Shreyas Iyer. His knock of 71 off 69 deliveries included seven fours and a six, based on which the home side went on to amass 287 even after losing three wickets early on. In the second game, the youngster went on to score a whirlwind inning of 39 off 16 deliveries.

Like Shreyas Iyer, the gloveman also failed in a delicate stage to steer India past the finish line since he managed to score only seven. Behind the stumps, Pant affected two dismissals in three games. He was a tad unfortunate in the third match, having put down multiple tough chances that came his way. He receives a rating of 6 on 10.

Kedar Jadhav – 4/10

Barring a useful contribution of 40 off 35 deliveries in the first game in Chennai, Kedar Jadhav couldn’t quite come in the spotlight. He scored an unbeaten 16 off ten balls that included three boundaries in the second game provided a flourishing finish to his side.

A substantial contribution in the third match could have skyrocketed his rating. However, he could make only nine in the series finale. With the ball, the 34-year old bowled only one over, having conceded 11 runs with now wicket to his name. The veteran may lose his place when Hardik Pandya comes into the side.

Shivam Dube – 2/10

The all-rounder was destined to make a significant impact in the ODI series, having showcased his potential in T20s against Bangladesh and West Indies. However, Shivam Dube played only in the opening match in the three-game series, making equivalent to no impact.

The 26-year old batted at number eight in the closing moments of the innings and could score only nine off eight deliveries. With the ball, Dube conceded 68 from less than eight overs without picking up a wicket. With all the frontline bowlers having an off day, the Mumbai-born was expected to make an impact. He couldn’t and as a result, he didn’t feature in more than one game. Nonetheless, he needs more opportunities to prove himself.

Ravindra Jadeja – 6/10

Ravindra Jadeja was one of the two frontline spinners in India’s ranks along with Kuldeep Yadav. The all-rounder had a mixed series with both bat and the ball. Jadeja scored 21 runs in the first game and picked up no wicket. He remained unbeaten on 0 in the second game and picked up two wickets but was taken to the cleaners by the Windies’ batsmen, conceding 74 runs.

The Saurashtra all-rounder snared one wicket in the final game. Nevertheless, Jadeja’s precious knock of 39 and his partnership of 58 with captain Kohli proved crucial in a nervy chase that subsequently secured the series for India. Jadeja, for his mixed outing in the series, receives a rating of six out of ten.

Kuldeep Yadav: 4/10

The left-arm spinner suffered a disappointing series. Kuldeep Yadav was one of India’s most dependable spinners, capable of providing crucial and frequent breakthroughs in the middle overs. However, of late, it seems like he has lost his Midas touch. The Windies’ batsmen manhandled the Kanpur-born spinner on most occasions in the series.

He could make an impact only in the second game of the series in which he picked up a hattrick to script India’s convincing win. Kuldeep went for 45 off his ten overs in the first game and 66 in the third game without taking any wickets. He finished the series with three wickets from three matches and hence gets a rating of four on 10.

Deepak Chahar – 4/10

Post his encouraging form in the shortest format for the national team, Deepak Chahar couldn’t quite thrive in the 50-over fixtures. To a degree of disappointment, the 27-year old picked up only one wicket in the two games he featured in. He conceded 48 runs off his ten overs in the first game along with a wicket. The Uttar Pradesh-born seamer went expensive in the second game, leaking 44 off seven overs.

Not only this, but he was also a poor fieldsman, missing a sitter off Nicholas Pooran’s bat in the second game. He sustained a back pain before the third match and as a result, didn’t play. For his performance in two games, he could scrape through to score a rating of only four out of 10.

Mohammed Shami – 6/10

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami had to play the role of the premier fast bowler. Incidentally, he was also Virat Kohli’s go-to bowler in the wake of a strong display of the Windies’ batting. Yet, the 29-year old wasn’t the most impressive of the fast bowlers.

His best figures came in the second ODI when he picked up three wickets for 39 runs, having bowled a match-winning spell. Along with Sheldon Cottrell, Shami finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the three-match series with five scalps from three games at an average of 32.40. His economy rate was slightly on the higher side with 6.11. Mohammed Shami scores a rating of six on ten. However, Shami will finish 2019 as the leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 42 scalps.

Navdeep Saini – 7/10

The speedster made his debut in the third ODI, taking Deepak Chahar’s place, who sustained a back injury. Evin Lewis smacked Navdeep Saini’s first delivery for a boundary, but as the game proceeded, he kept on getting impressive. Saini got the men in blue two big breakthroughs in the middle-overs, bouncing out Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase.

Unfortunately, Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard took him to the cleaners in the death overs. At one stage, his figures read as 8-0-28-0. By the end of his quota, the 27-year old had conceded 58 in ten overs for a couple of wickets. He did go expensive; however, having enjoyed more than a promising debut; thus, he gets a rating of seven on 10.

Shardul Thakur – 5/10

Shardul Thakur came into the second match at the expense of Rishabh Pant. Despite conceding 55 off eight overs in the game, he retained his place for the series climax. Shardul snapped only one wicket in Cuttack by giving away 66 runs in his allotted ten overs.

Nevertheless, the right-arm seamer created an impact with the bat at a delicate phase of the match. At the stroke of Kohli’s dismissal, India still needed 30 runs off 26 balls. The 28-year old smacked his first ball for four and struck a six and another boundary soon after to tilt the scales completely towards India’s favour. He joined hands with Jadeja to steer India past the finish line in a make or break situation and is awarded a rating of five out of 10. Shardul remained unbeaten on 17 off just six balls.

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