SA vs IND, 2018: Pink ODI, Jo'Burg – Team India Player Ratings

The South African team dearly needed a victory in the 4th match of the series to keep themselves alive in the series. With the help of rain and lighting gods, along with some sloppiness from Indians on the field, South Africans remain alive in the series with their win at Jo’burg.

After winning the toss, Virat elected to bat first and looked to set a total of 320+ in front of the hosts to seal the series for themselves. It all changed with the lightning interruption as India lost their way at the slog overs and could only manage a total of 289.

Thanks to some sloppy fielding and no-balls, India could not defend the revised total of 208 in 28 overs. Their wrist-spinning duo was taken to the cleaners by the likes of Miller, Klaasen and Phehlukwayo as the hosts won the match by 5 wickets by DLS method.

Here is a look at the player ratings from Team India

Rohit Sharma- 1/10

Looking at the conditions at Wanderers, this was the perfect opportunity for Rohit Sharma to resurrect his South African tour. Unfortunately, Rohit had to suffer another failure as proved to be Rabada’s bunny yet again. The opener could not control his defensive push and gave a challenging catch to Rabada on 5. The bowler made a difficult catch look easy without grassing it on his follow through.

Shikhar Dhawan- 9.5/10

Much like the last couple of outings, Dhawan looked in imperious touch but this time he made sure he converted his 50 into a much-awaited century. Dhawan stitched a valuable partnership with his captain at the other end to take India into a solid position. The southpaw creamed a majestic 109 off 105 deliveries consisting of 11 boundaries and a couple of maximums.

Virat Kohli- 9/10

The man in peak form at the moment, Virat Kohli, cashed in yet again with yet another classy innings of 75 off 83 balls and treated fans with some glorious shots. The 158 run partnership with Dhawan provided a massive platform for the middle order to accelerate at the death. Unfortunately, he missed out on his ton while trying to bring out his power game at the back end.

Ajinkya Rahane- 2/10:

For the second time in a row, the stage was set for Ajinkya Rahane to express himself at the number four slot. However, he failed to contribute again as he was dismissed on 8 while trying to pull a short delivery at the square leg boundary. This would yet again raise concerns regarding the number 4 slot in the batting lineup.

Shreyas Iyer- 4/10

This was the first occasion when Shreyas Iyer was exposed to the International level outside India. Iyer played a couple of brilliant drives to make his presence felt at the Wanderers. But Iyer could not continue after his fluent start and perished at 18. He also dropped a crucial catch of David Miller which proved to be expensive in the end. Clearly, Iyer felt the jitters of the International stage at the Bull Ring today.

Hardik Pandya- 3/10:

Rahane, Iyer, and Pandya collectively failed at the backend yet again with the bat during the slog overs which cost them an additional 30 runs in the end. Pandya also opened the floodgates the for the South Africans after conceding three boundaries in a row. Hardik Pandya’s torrid run with ball and bat continues on the South African tour.

MS Dhoni- 7.5/10:

With the mini-collapse in the middle during the slog overs, MS Dhoni took his time up front but later managed to finish with a flourish at the death. MSD scored a face-saving 43-ball 42 comprising of 3 boundaries and a six. It was a trademark MS Dhoni finish for which the fans have been eagerly awaiting.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 6.5/10

In the hindsight, the services of Bhuvi were underused as Kohli had a couple of overs of him in the bank. Bhuvi’s economy was still on the higher side with the new ball with the innings still 50 overs a side.

Kuldeep Yadav – 7/10:

The hero of the first three match of the series had an off day as India’s trump card went for eight and a half an over. The likes of Miller, Klaasen, and Phehlukwayo upset his rhythm with their unorthodox shots. This was the first time in the series when Yadav was applied pressure and the young lad did not respond ideally but still had a couple of wickets to show for.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 4/10:

If one had to blame any bowler for the loss at Wanderers, it has to be Yuzvendra Chahal who bowled a no-ball to dismiss David Miller still young at the crease. Chahal went for 68 runs in his five overs at an economy of 12.3. Clearly, the wrist spinning duo had an off day which benefitted the South Africans.

Jasprit Bumrah – 7/10:

Much like Bhuvi, Bumrah’s services were underused in the inning. He had an important wicket to show for just when Markram was looking ominous.

Here’s the news feed:

Virat Kohli surpasses Azharuddin to become overall fifth leading run scorer for India in ODIs

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