3 Indian players who flopped in the Test series against England
Virat Kohli's India sealed a place in the final of the World Test Championship with a convincing 3-1 win in the 4-Test series against England. With the triumph, the hosts also moved to #1 on the ICC Test Rankings.
A number of stars stepped up for India in the series. Ravichandran Ashwin won his 8th Man of the Series award in Test cricket, and only two cricketers have won the accolade on more occasions in the history of the game. Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant excelled with the bat, while Axar Patel ensured Ravindra Jadeja's absence wasn't felt at all.
However, a few Indian players put up an underwhelming show. Here are 3 who won't look back at this series very fondly, at least from an individual perspective.
#3 Ajinkya Rahane
After his match-winning hundred at Melbourne in the 2nd Test against Australia, Ajinkya Rahane has hit a rut. He did play valuable innings of 37 and 24 in the fourth and final Test at The Gabba, and notched up a crucial 67 in the 2nd Test against England on a difficult pitch in Chennai.
But Rahane's other knocks in the series didn't impress (27, 7, 10, 1 and 0). The Indian Test vice-captain hasn't been able to make an impact at No. 5, and the lower-middle order has had to shoulder a lot of responsibility due to his failures.
Rahane's technique against spin came under the scanner in the England series. He was often caught on the crease or on the backfoot, especially against the guile of Jack Leach. His place in the team is under no threat whatsoever, but India would certainly want him to turn his poor form around.
#2 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill's England assignment got off to a decent start as he scored 79 runs in the 1st Test at Chennai. But after that, the 21-year-old registered scores of 0, 14, 11, 15* and 0 to finish the series on a sour note.
Gill's shot selection left a lot to be desired. He played across the line to be caught in front by both Jimmy Anderson and Olly Stone, with another rash pull against Jofra Archer between the LBWs.
Gill's poor performances were further enhanced by the success of his opening partner Rohit Sharma, who showed the virtue of patience and measured aggression throughout the 4-Test series.
The Punjab-born youngster is a generational talent, so India won't move on from him very quickly. But Mayank Agawal was dropped from the team after a similar run of scores, and his failures didn't even come at home. Gill needs to turn his fortunes around immediately.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli's 70th international ton, which was scored against Bangladesh in the pink-ball Test at Eden Gardens, feels like ages ago. That's because it was ages ago - November 2019, to be precise.
Kohli scored two masterful fifties in the first two Tests of the series, but on the whole, his series was a disappointment. The Indian captain bagged two ducks in the same series for only the second time in his international career, with the previous occasion being his nightmare tour of England in 2014.
Kohli's conversion rate has taken a massive hit in the recent past, and why is anyone's guess. He needs to arrest this slump rightaway.
However, it must be said that he showed marked improvements in his captaincy, which was spot-on most of the time. Precise with his field placements and effective with his bowling changes, the 32-year-old led India back to the summit of the ICC Test Rankings.