New Zealand vs India, 2020 T20I Series: India Players' Performance Ratings

The Indian team fine-tuned their preparations ahead of the ICC 2020 World T20 by blanking New Zealand in the five-match series. In all five matches, the Men in Blue were ruthless in their approach and rarely let the Kiwis come back from behind to win the game. It is the first time in international cricket that any team has won the five-match T20I series by 5-0.

Also Read: Not Thinking Too Much About The T20 World Cup: KL Rahul

The most encouraging part of India’s point of view was how almost all the players stepped up at some juncture to script their victory. And India’s benched players received as many chances in this high-profile series as the regular white-ball picks.

KL Rahul was named as the Man of the Series for scoring 224 runs across five innings.

We take a look at the India Players’ Performance Ratings:

Virat Kohli – 9/10

As always, captain Virat Kohli led from the front in all four games. Whether it was with the bat in all the fixtures or it was in the field in the last two matches to motivate his players to stay in the game. In short, he excelled in all.

Kohli’s aggressive captaincy was a massive factor in the visitors’ victory in two consecutive super overs. He receives a rating of 9/10.

Rohit Sharma – 8/10

Rohit Sharma began the series, showing a lot of glimpses of his usual destructive self. It was in New Zealand’s do or die game that the vice-captain touched a new level of stardom.

The 31-year-old top-scored with 65 first and proceeded to chase 18 in the super over to seal the series for India. But he remains a doubtful starter ahead of the ODI series since he retired hurt on 60 in the last game.

Nevertheless, he receives a rating of 8/10.

Ravindra Jadeja – 7/10

Ravindra Jadeja featured in the first three matches and took five wickets and maintained an economy rate of 4.5 and 5.75 in the second and third game respectively.

For the final two T20Is, Jadeja was rested, paving the way for Washington Sundar to get game time.

Nevertheless, he receives a rating of 7/10.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 6/10

Amid a show dominated by India’s pacers, Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t have much say in the conditions. The leg-spinner took a total of three wickets in all five games. But there were also times in which he got milked for runs.

Chahal receives a rating of 6/10.

Jasprit Bumrah – 8/10

Barring the third match in Hamilton, Jasprit Bumrah bowled brilliantly in all the encounters even as other pacers were inconsistent. He picked up six wickets in total and his best bowling figures came at the Bay Oval in the final, taking three for only 12 runs in four overs for which he also received the award for the player of the match.

The prominent pacer gets a rating of 8/10, mainly for how he bowled in the death overs.

Sanju Samson – 2/10

Sanju Samson was one of the rare disappointments for the Men in Blue in their winning campaign of 5-0.

Known as an elegant player, the Kerala batsman was given a chance in the final two dead rubbers. But Samson failed to even reach past double figures after beginning his innings in a promising fashion.

The youngster receives a rating of 2/10.

KL Rahul – 9.5/10:

KL Rahul’s meteoric rise continued as he played significant innings in all five matches and excelled behind the stumps as well.

The most glaring aspect behind his every knock was how he adjusted the tempo according to the situation. The Karnataka batsman ended the five-match series as the leading run-getter with 224 runs at an average of 56. KL Rahul gets a near-perfect rating of 9.5/10.

Shreyas Iyer – 7/10:

India may have effectively ended their middle-order woes by having Shreyas Iyer in their ranks.

The right-handed batsman received the man of the match in the first game when he nailed the chase of 204 to perfection.

Post that; he chipped in with invaluable contributions to help India in their victories. Shreyas finished the series with 153 runs in five matches and receives a rating of 7/10.

Manish Pandey – 7/10

If there were an unsung hero in India’s camp for the series, it would none other be than Manish Pandey. The 30-year old remained not-out in all the innings he batted in and his highest score of 50 came in Wellington as he rescued India from 88-6 to post 165 on the board.

Hence, ahead of the mega event later this year, the tourists have also found a competent lower-order batsman.

Manish Pandey receives a rating of 7/10.

Shivam Dube – 3/10:

Shivam Dube’s chance to press his case as an all-rounder in the absence of Hardik Pandya may have blown into dust.

The 26-year old could reach double figures with the bat only once in five innings and picked up just the one wicket to go with. He gets a rating of 3/10.

Mohammed Shami – 7/10

Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were the two main thorns in the Kiwi batsmen’s ways, especially in the death overs. Shami, with his pinpoint yorkers and uncanny variations, tied their batsmen down.

While his statistics of two wickets from three matches may not indicate much, it was mainly in the death overs he had a greater say.

He gets a rating of 7/10.

Navdeep Saini – 6/10

Navdeep Saini was chosen as the replacement for Mohammed Shami for the last two games. The aggregate of two wickets came in the final match itself. In the fourth encounter in Hamilton, he didn’t pick up any wicket, but kept his economy rate under 8.

Saini earns a rating of 6/10.

Shardul Thakur – 8/10

It seemed as if Shardul Thakur would face the axe after the first match itself in which he conceded 44 runs in three overs.

However, India persisted with him and his last-over spell in Wellington that yielded four wickets may just keep him in the reckoning for the World T20. He finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 8 wickets in five games and gets a rating of 8/10.

Washington Sundar – 6/10

Washington Sundar came in place of Ravindra Jadeja for the final two T20Is.

Contrary to Jadeja, the off-spinner didn’t pose any threat to the Kiwi batsmen, but picked up the vital scalp of Colin Munro to peg them back considerably.

Sundar earns a rating of 6/10.

Also Read: Happy With The Learnings In New Zealand: Jasprit Bumrah