IND v ENG 2022: Ranking the performances of the Indian players
India lost the rescheduled Test match against England and with it, a shot at winning a Test series on English soil after 15 years went down the drain.
Asked to bat first, the visitors put on a mammoth 416 runs on the board, thanks to centuries from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. In response, England were all out for 284 runs, giving the Indian team a handsome lead in the second innings.
A couple of fifties from Cheteshwar Pujara and Pant in the second innings helped India set England a challenging target of 378. The hosts, however, stunned Jasprit Bumrah & Co. by chasing it down comfortably well before lunch on Day 5.
With this win, England not only drew the series 2-2 but also registered their highest successful chase in Test cricket.
🏴
Trophy shared! 🏆🏴🇮🇳
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/2THijsc65O
In the wake of India's spirited yet unsuccessful campaign against England at Edgbaston, let's grade the cricketers based on their performances across the two innings.
#1 Rishabh Pant - 9/10
Rishabh Pant was the highest run-getter in the Indian team in this Test. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 203 runs, including a hundred and a fifty in both innings, respectively.
With the top-order back in the pavilion for less than 100 runs, Pant partnered with Ravindra Jadeja to register a record 222-run partnership for the sixth wicket in the first innings.
The swashbuckler went after the bowlers, hitting them to all parts of the ground, much to the entertainment of the fans. Pant eventually went on to score a scintillating hundred off just 88 balls, thereby registering the fastest Test century by an Indian wicketkeeper.
He kept the momentum alive in the second innings as he scored 57 runs off 86 balls and shared an important partnership with Chesteshwar Pujara.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja - 8.5/10
Ravindra Jadeja had a dream run with the bat in the first innings of the Test match. He came out to bat when India were five down for 98 runs. With the team in desperate need of a partnership, Jadeja paired up with Rishabh Pant to get India to a commanding position in the game. He played second fiddle to the wicketkeeper-batter and kept rotating the strike.
After Pant departed for 146, he took it upon himself to guide the Men in Blue to a competitive total in the first innings. He tried his best to shelter the tailenders from England's bowling attack by taking up as much of the strike as possible. His efforts bore fruit as he went on to score his third Test century overall and second in 2022.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara - 7.5/10
Cheteshwar Pujara was expected to be a rock in India's batting given his dream run at the County Championship 2022. The Saurashtra-born cricketer, however, failed to stand up to expectations in the first innings of the game and was dismissed for a paltry 13 off 46 balls. Although he hit a couple of boundaries, Pujara arguably didn't look very comfortable at the crease.
The Indian batter, however, redeemed himself in the second innings and performed his job to perfection. He stitched up a crucial 78-run partnership with Pant to steady the ship for his team.
Pujara was eventually dismissed for a well-made 66 off 168 balls.
#4 Jasprit Bumrah - 7/10
Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah led a valiant attack against England in his first game as skipper. He took on Stuart Broad in the first innings, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. Broad went on to concede 35 runs in what became the most expensive over in the history of Test cricket.
He was just as good with the ball. Bumrah ran through England's top-order, picking up five wickets overall in the match.
#5 Mohammed Siraj - 6.5/10
Mohammed Siraj has impressed many with his spirited performances in overseas conditions. The Hyderabad-born fast bowler made his Test debut against Australia in 2020 and registered his first five-wicket haul in the same series.
He was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the first innings in Birmingham and played a decisive role in restricting the hosts to 284 runs. He picked up four wickets, including the prized scalp of Joe Root.
#6 Mohammad Shami - 6/10
Mohammad Shami has proven his ability to hit the odd ball into the stands in the past. However, the world got to see a different version of him at Edgbaston when he came out to bat in the first innings. Having lost two quick wickets in the form of Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur, India needed a partnership to get to a competitive total.
Shami's job was to not throw his wicket away, a job he did exceedingly well. He made sure to stick around with Ravindra Jadeja and weave a 48-run partnership with him for the eighth wicket. He skillfully defended his wicket against England's bowling attack and even hit three boundaries for his 16 off 31 balls.
Furthermore, the Indian speedster looked lethal with the ball in the first innings and accounted for the dismissals of Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach.
#7 Virat Kohli - 5/10
Virat Kohli was expected to score big at Edgbaston following his fifty in the warm-up match against Leicestershire. Unfortunately, the former Indian skipper couldn't get going and registered scores of 11 and 20 in two innings.
He arguably looked a bit shaky in the first innings before being out in an unfortunate fashion. Kohli was a little too late in leaving the ball and ended up playing the ball onto his stumps.
He looked much more comfortable in the second innings and hit four glorious boundaries.
As beautiful as it gets - Virat Kohli's Cover drive. https://t.co/qFYL4bTaoY
However, his stay was cut short by Ben Stokes, who forced the Indian batter to edge the ball to Joe Root in the slip cordon.
#8 Hanuma Vihari - 4.5/10
Hanuma Vihari hasn't had the best of times and has only scored two fifties in the last 14 innings. Following his success batting at No.3 against Sri Lanka earlier this year, Vihari got the nod to bat in the same position at Edgbaston.
However, the Andhra-born batter failed to cash in on the opportunity and managed scores of 20 and 11 in the two innings.
#9 Shreyas Iyer - 3.5/10
Shreyas Iyer's maiden overseas campaign turned out to be a forgettable one, as he scored 15 and 19 in both innings.
Iyer came into the match following a good run against New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home. Unfortunately, he couldn't further his good form at Edgbaston, where his weakness against short-pitched deliveries was exploited by the England bowlers.
#10 Shardul Thakur - 3/10
Shardul Thakur had a fairly successful run in red-ball cricket leading up to the rescheduled Test against England. Chosen ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin, the all-rounder failed to repay the faith of the team management at Edgbaston.
With an economy rate of 6.86 and 5.91 in both innings respectively, he was one of the most expensive bowlers in the Indian team. Barring the wicket of Ben Stokes in the first innings, Thakur made no other meaningful contributions for India - with bat or ball.
#11 Shubman Gill - 2/10
Shubman Gill has been plagued by inconsistencies throughout his short Test career. The youngster had a good chance to make a strong case for himself as a first-choice opener for India in Tests but failed to get going in both innings.
Gill started with positive intent in the first innings, hitting four boundaries. However, he failed to convert the start into a good score and was dismissed for 17 off James Anderson's bowling.
It wasn't any different in the second innings where he managed to score four before being caught off Anderson's bowling.