England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: Player Ratings
India were 0-2 and the way they’ve responded has been remarkable. The Virat Kohli-led side has come storming back and now the series is nicely poised with India 1-2 behind and two Test matches to go.
After being put into bat by Joe Root, India made 329, thanks to a very good 97 from Kohli and an equally good 81 from Ajinkya Rahane. Hardik Pandya then unleashed the beast inside him as he ran through the England batting line-up to register a maiden fifer. India then piled on the misery as Kohli continued his imperious form and struck his second ton of the series.
Chasing a daunting 521 in the fourth innings, England crumbled and were reduced to 62/4 before a fighting 169-run stand between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes defied India. Buttler struck a superb ton but once he was dismissed, England collapsed. Adil Rashid and Stuart Broad did have some fun and swung their bats before Bumrah completed a well-deserved fifer.
India
Shikhar Dhawan – 6.5/10
This was India’s third opening pair and after he was dropped for the second Test, Shikhar Dhawan replaced the out-of-form Murali Vijay in this Test and he did quite well. He made 35 and 44 in the two innings and looked good. He helped India get off to good starts.
KL Rahul – 6.5/10
Along with Dhawan, it was KL Rahul who provided some sort of solidity at the top. He might not have got big scores but like Dhawan, he blunted out the England new-ball bowlers. He scored 23 and 35 in the first and second innings respectively. He was also excellent in the slips. He caught almost everything that came his way. In fact, he took 7 catches (all at second slip) in the two innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara – 7/10
Pujara finally seemed to be back in form. He got out hooking in the final over before lunch (on Day 1) in the first innings. But he played well in the second innings as he made 72 and spent quite some time in the middle. He shared a good partnership (113 runs) with Kohli in the second innings.
Virat Kohli – 10/10
Kohli continued his stupendous form as he amassed 200 runs in two innings. He made 97 and missed out on a century by a whisker. But he made amends in the second innings as he scored a majestic 103. He led the team very well as well. He took the right calls, made some good bowling changes and more importantly, he finally got the team selection right.
Ajinkya Rahane – 7.5/10
Like Pujara, Rahane also got some crucial runs. He made an excellent 81 in the first innings where along with Kohli, he helped India recover from 82/3. He also made a patient 94-ball 29 in the second innings. India will be happy that their vice-captain is finally back amongst the runs.
Hardik Pandya – 9/10
This is one Test match Hardik Pandya will not forget in a long time. He did almost everything right. He might have failed with the bat in the first innings, but apart from that, he has basically bossed the game. He got a fifer in the first innings, running through the England batting line-up. He then got a quick fifty in the second innings before finishing off the game with a good spell in the second innings where he got the wicket of Ben Stokes.
Rishabh Pant – 6.5/10
On debut, Pant smashed his second ball in Test cricket for a six and announced his arrival. However, he promised a lot but he just scored 24 in the first innings while he returned with a score of just 1. However, he was quite good behind the stumps. He took some very good catches and on the whole, he had a decent debut.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 4/10
Ashwin didn’t have a big impact on the game. He scored 14 in the first innings and was injured while India took the field in the first innings. He didn’t bowl in the first innings while he did bowl 19 overs in the second innings, he was hindered with his hip injury and wasn’t 100%.
Mohammed Shami – 6/10
Shami has this tendency of blowing hot and cold at different times. This Test match was no different. He wasn’t up to the mark in the first innings while he bowled quite well in the second. He finished the Test match with just 2 wickets to his name.
Ishant Sharma – 7/10
The scorecard will never give you an indication of how well Ishant Sharma has bowled in this game. He’s troubled the England batting almost every time he came onto bowl. He beat the bat on numerous occasions but was unlucky to finish with just 4 wickets in this Test.
Jasprit Bumrah – 9/10
This was Bumrah’s first game in almost two months. But he looked in excellent shape and he produced a brilliant performance. In the first innings, he got two key wickets before he took an excellent fifer in the second innings.