England vs India 2018, fifth Test: Rating the Indian playersÂ
England has sealed a triumphant victory over the Indian unit by a margin of 118 runs, in a contest which looked pretty feasible at some point of the game. If only Indian batsmen had stayed in the middle for a prolonged duration, if not a win but a draw would have been possible for the visiting unit.
The Englishmen would be happy to provide a perfect farewell to their all-time legend who had bagged the English jersey for almost 161 Tests. India may not exactly be satisfied with their performance, considering they had a chance of bouncing back into the scene from their victory in the third Test, but there's nothing they can do at this moment, other than work on their flaws and try not to emulate those mistakes in the game to come.
Here are the player ratings for the Indian team.
Shikhar Dhawan- 2/10
The Indian southpaw failed miserably against the English attack and is on the verge of losing out his place for the upcoming series. With scores of 3 and 1 in the first and second innings, Dhawan may have squandered his chances of being in the playing XI for the series down under.
KL Rahul- 8/10
The Karnataka lad batted brilliantly in the riveting contest. His 149 of 224 deliveries helped India prance closer to the mighty total set up by the English batsmen. The kind of cricket he exhibited in the final contest, is something the entire Indian cricket fraternity had been waiting for since the start of the series.
Cheteshwar Pujara- 4/10
The modern wall of Indian cricket could score only 37 runs in the final contest including a duck in the fourth innings of the game, something which is a rare sight to witness from a player of his prowess. While Pujara played a gritty knock in the second innings, he just couldn't replicate a similar one in the final innings.
Virat Kohli (c)- 4/10
Kohli may have gone for a duck in the fourth innings, but the way he batted in the second innings was crucial behind India crawling their way to a total of 292. His 49 in 70 deliveries helped India in the first innings.
Ajinkya Rahane- 4.5/10
Rahane failed to emulate a performance similar to the one at Nottingham. With scores of 0 and 37 in the second and fourth innings, Rahane couldn't deliver what was expected of him and fell prey to Anderson and Moeen Ali respectively.
Hanuma Vihari- 7/10
The debutant played brilliantly in the final Test of series thereby solidifying his place in the playing XI for the upcoming series. His 56 of 124 deliveries against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad gave a clear testament of his potential in the longer format of the game.
Not to forget, he picked up the crucial wickets of Alastair Cook, Joe Root, and Sam Curran at a point when their dismissal looked impossible for any other Indian bowlers.
Rishabh Pant (wk)- 8/10
The Delhi lad exhibited a stupendous play in the final contest by notching up much anticipated mammoth innings of 114 runs in 146 deliveries, that too in his debut series in the world of Test cricket.
Ravindra Jadeja- 7/10
His four-wicket haul in the 1st innings followed by a riling knock of 86* against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad was a perfect testament of how great a player he is when it comes to performing under back-breaking situations.
Ishant Sharma- 6/10
Ishant's dismissals of Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, and Sam Curran helped India to curb down the English unit to a total of 332 in the first innings. While we went wicketless in the third innings, the way he maintained the pressure onto the English batsmen with his fiery bowling prowess is something that selectors and team management would surely look into consideration for the upcoming contests.
Mohammed Shami- 5/10
The Indian swing specialist was highly effective in giving a tough time to the Englishmen on numerous occasions. While he was wicketless in the first innings and could pick up only a couple in the third, the way he exhibited his proficiency in slowing down the visiting team was truly worth applauding.
Jasprit Bumrah- 5/10
The Indian pacer is going from strength to strength in the red-ball cricket. He picked up the crucial wickets of Alastair Cook, Joe Root, and Adil Rashid, thereby stopping the English unit from putting a gigantic total in the first innings of the game.
While he couldn't take any wickets in the third innings, his assistance towards fellow Indian spearheads in keeping England on their toes throughout the final contest was worth applauding.