Rating the performance of the Indian players in the 2022 T20I World Cup

India were knocked out in the semifinals of the recently concluded T20I World Cup Down Under. They suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss against England, who went on to win the tournament by beating Pakistan in the final.

India topped the group stage by beating the likes of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Their only other defeat came against South Africa, who could not proceed to the knockouts.

The Indian team had a mixed bag of performances, with some players delivering well and others failing to do so.

This article will rate the performances of Indian players on a scale of 1-10 in the 2022 T20I World Cup.

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#1 Rohit Sharma - 4/10

Rohit Sharma struggled throughout the World T20. [Pic Credit - ICC]

India's new skipper had a terrible World Cup with the bat and on the field. His job at the top of the order was to give a fast start. However, Sharma not only failed to score big but also paced his innings at a rather poor rate, which made the job that much harder for the succeeding batters.

His scores of 4,15,2,8 and 27 against Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and England respectively, do not make a good reading card for India. He scored a total of 109 runs at a strike rate of 106.42 at an average of 19.33.

There is also the question of his fitness, which his predecessors Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni never had to struggle with. Failure to deliver has sparked serious concerns over his presence in the shortest format of the game.

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#K.L. Rahul - 6/10

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India's vice-captain fared only a little better than his skipper. Rahul struggled against the big sides but managed to hit two half-centuries against the easier nations.

He produced a moment of brilliant individual magic on the pitch against Bangladesh, which effectively turned the game on its head for India. The underlying concern remains for Rahul, however, as he was unable to deliver against Pakistan, South Africa, and England.

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#Virat Kohli - 9/10

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Virat Kohli announced his return to form in spectacular fashion at the Asia Cup. He hit a terrific century against Afghanistan to break his century-drought.

The former Indian skipper continued to score runs in the two bilateral series against the Proteas and Australia in the build-up to the World Cup.

The World Cup in Australia was the perfect stage for Kohli to continue his exploits. And he delivered. He began with a magical inning of 82 off 53 balls to deliver the unlikeliest of victories against arch-rivals Pakistan.

King Kohli continued his scoring spree with scores of 82*, 62*, 12, 64*, 26, and 50. He ended the tournament as the highest scorer with an impressive strike rate of 136.41.

Kohli broke several records along the way. He equaled Sachin Tendulkar's record for most Player of the Match awards in ICC tournaments. He also overtook Mahela Jaywardene to become the highest run-getter in T20I World Cups.

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#Suryakumar Yadav - 9/10

SKY, as he is known to fans, lit up the tournament with his 360 degree hitting. He tormented every single team with his explosive batting. The World No. 1 T20I batter registered scores of 15, 51*, 68, 30, 61* and 14 in the tournament.

He ended with 239 runs, the third-highest in the tournament. The staggering number here was his inhuman strike rate of 189.68.

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#Hardik Pandya - 7/10

Hardik Pandya made some important contributions for India with both bat and ball in the tournament. He had a brilliant outing against Pakistan, scalping three wickets and scoring 40 crucial runs in the chase.

Pandya also delivered in the knockout against England, scoring a hard-hitting 50 to take India to a respectable total. Overall, he scored 128 runs and bagged eight wickets.

He also showed leadership skills, which might push the management to put him in contention for a future captaincy role in the team.

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#Dinesh Karthik - 3/10

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Dinesh Karthik had a forgettable World Cup for India. [Pic Credits - ICC]

India's veteran wicketkeeper made a fairytale comeback to the side but failed to deliver Down Under. He scored 14 runs in three innings at an average of 4.67 with a strike rate of 64. With the next T20I World Cup set to be held in 2024, this could be the end of the road for Dinesh Karthik in Indian colors.

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#Rishabh Pant - 5/10

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Rishabh Pant must focus on his fitness. [Pic Credit - ICC]

India's dashing wicketkeeper failed to make an impact as well. He was brought in to replace Karthik in the crucial semifinal and a dead rubber against Zimbabwe.

Pant scored a total of 9 runs at an average of 4.50, with a strike rate of 100. He did a reasonable job with the gloves. The worry is that judging Pant solely based on two matches is unfair but India will need him to turn his form around quickly to stay in the T20I side.

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#Deepak Hooda - 5/10

Deepak Hooda played just one match in this World T20. [Pic Credit - ICC]

He played one game in the entire tournament. Put into bat against the Proteas, Hood was dismissed for a duck. He was an important member on the field as a substitute. India will hope to see more of Hooda as he can do a lot of damage in all three departments in T20s.

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#Axar Patel - 2/10

Axar Patel had a horrendous World Cup.

It was a tournament to forget for Axar Patel. He was drafted to replace the injured Ravindra Jadeja. However, Axar failed with both bat and ball. Barring the match against The Netherlands, he conceded a mammoth 97 runs in the 9.2 overs in the tournament, picking up just one wicket at an economy rate of 10.54. Patel scored a combined 9 runs in two innings at an average of 4.5. The 28-year-old will have a lot to reflect on after his disastrous World T20 campaign.

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#Ravichandran Ashwin - 5/10

Another veteran in the game, Ashwin had a mixed tournament. He took six wickets at an economy rate of 8.15. He made some meaningful late contributions with the bat including the moment of absolute calm against Pakistan.

With the ball, the worry will remain with his inability to pick wickets in regular intervals. At 36, it could be the end of the road for Ashwin in the shortest format of the game.

#Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 6/10

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a miserly economy rate of 6.25 in the World T20. [Pic Credit - ICC]

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up four wickets and had a economy rate of 6.25. Despite such figures, he remains a cause for concern. The reason for this is his inability to take wickets with the new ball.

It allows opposition batters to settle in and attack India later. With Bhuvi now 32, he will have to work extra hard to maintain his place in the side for the 2024 ICC T20I World Cup.

#Arshdeep Singh - 8/10

Arshdeep Singh was India's star bowler at the tournament. He picked up 10 wickets at an economy of 7.8. He averaged 12 balls per wicket and 15 runs per wicket.

He also displayed great variety and intelligence with his bowling in different stages. The young pacer has a bright future ahead of him.

#Mohammed Shami - 6/10

The Indian speedster picked up six wickets in six matches at the World T20 at a decent economy rate of 7.15 rpo, a strike rate of 20 balls per wicket and an average of 23.83 runs per wicket. However, much like compatriot Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the pacer struggled under pressure, namely in the matches against Bangladesh and England.

At 32, Shami might have more cricket left in him but he will have to work on his fitness and add more variations to his bowling if he wants to play another World T20I.

This concludes our report card for the Indian Team in this edition of the T20 World Cup.

Do you agree, with these scores? Let us know in the comments below

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