West Indies vs India 2017: Rating the Indian players
The Indian team travelled to the West Indies embroiled in controversy. They had failed to defend their Champions Trophy title against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the tournament, losing the match by 180 odd runs.
Soon after, head coach Anil Kumble resigned from his post, stating ‘untenable relations’ with captain Virat Kohli as the reason. Ramchandra Guha, a BCCI panel member, resigned from his post in the midst of the tournament and subsequently wrote a fiery letter.
Long story short, the team touring West Indies had a lot on their mind.
Also read: India lose points in latest ICC ODI rankings despite series win
However, all of that disappeared as the Men in Blue stepped onto the field. Barring the one-off display in the 4th match, Kohli’s men dominated the mellow West Indians in every aspect throughout the ODI series. They won their games comprehensively, answered the critics with consistent performances and showed that they were ultimate professionals when it came to dealing with off the field issues.
India won the ODI series 3-1, with the first game being cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions. Let us now look at the player ratings of the Indians for the series:
Batsmen
Ajinkya Rahane: 9.5/10
Runs scored: 336
Average: 67.20
Hundreds: 1
Fifties: 3
Catches: 1
Touted as a player unsuitable for limited-overs cricket, the man from Mumbai truly let his bat do the talking. After warming the bench throughout the length of the Champions Trophy, Rahane finally got his chance in the playing XI after regular opener Rohit Sharma was rested for the tour.
He made full use of the opportunity and scored more runs than anyone in the series. He notched up consecutive fifty-plus scores in the first four matches, while also converting the second fifty into a splendid run-a-ball hundred.
Partnering Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order, the 29-year-old looked comfortable in the middle. His ability to rotate the strike in the middle overs, which was always under the scanner, showed significant signs of improvement this time around. It will be interesting to see how Kohli accommodates the right-hander into the playing XI after Sharma’s return, if he decides to keep him in at all.
Shikhar Dhawan: 7/10
Runs scored: 161
Average: 32.20
Fifties: 2
Catches: 2
Dhawan’s impeccable form from the Champions Trophy followed him to the Carribean Islands as he scored two flawless half-centuries in the first two games. However, his next three scores read 2, 5 and 4. The sudden dip in form was unprecedented and the Indian fans would hope that the free-scoring batsman finds his groove as soon as possible.
Virat Kohli: 9/10
Runs scored: 244
Average: 81.33
Hundreds: 1
Fifties: 1
Catches: 2
You can try but you will fail to remember the last bilateral ODI series where Kohli failed to live up to the unbelievably high standards that he has set for himself. It took him time to truly get going in this series, but when he did, there was no stopping the Indian skipper.
His hundred in the final game of the series was a personification of everything Kohli has always stood for: flicking balls outside off to the leg-side, hitting pacers for incomprehensible sixes and running like a panther between the wickets. His awe-inspiring strokeplay was at its best yesterday, and he oozed magic on the field. He also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the highest number of hundreds scored in run-chases.
His 87 in the second ODI was also extremely important as the impetus that he provided at the end of the innings steered India to a 300-plus total.
Yuvraj Singh: 4/10
Runs scored: 57
Average: 19
Hundreds: 0
Fifties: 0
Catches: 0
Yuvraj Singh’s limited-overs future seems to be getting bleaker with every passing match. The southpaw is struggling to find form post his dazzling fifty against Pakistan in India’s opening game of the Champions Trophy, and injuries have further added to his troubles.
He played in the first three matches before picking up a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the next two games. His performance was dismal in the first two games and even though he managed a 39 in the third ODI, he looked out-of-sorts.
The 35-year-old’s fielding is not where it was once and his loss of form with the bat is a sign of concern, to say the least. Is it time for the Indian selectors to start looking beyond the veteran?
Dinesh Karthik: 8/10
Runs scored: 57
Average: 50*
Hundreds: 0
Fifties: 1
Catches: 0
In the two matches that Karthik replaced Singh, he ranged from horrendous to fabulous. He scored 2 runs off 19 deliveries in India’s loss in the 4th ODI. He looked haplessly out-of-place and his innings added to the gloom that had taken hold of India’s batting effort on that ominous day.
However, in the very next match, he dusted himself off in style. He scored a stylish 50* and stitched a brilliant century partnership with his captain, who was playing beautifully at the other end. Karthik’s shots, especially his cuts and flicks, were extremely soothing to the eye and soon the 2-run innings was a distant memory.
Karthik is now a strong contender for the No. 4 position along with Rahane, Singh, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey.