T20 World Cup 2021: Rating the performances of India's bowlers in the tournament
Virat Kohli signed off as India's T20I captain with a convincing victory over Namibia, but the Men in Blue endured a disappointing T20 World Cup overall. Losses to Pakistan and New Zealand consigned them to third spot in Group 2 as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
Head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar also completed their final assignments in charge of the Indian team. Arun, in particular, has been effusively praised for his contribution in making India a formidable bowling unit.
How did India's bowlers fare in the T20 World Cup? In this article, we rate (out of 10) the performances of India's bowlers in the tournament.
T20 World Cup 2021: Bumrah, Jadeja shine for India amid Ashwin comeback
Ravindra Jadeja: 9/10
Jadeja finished the T20 World Cup as India's joint-highest wicket-taker, with seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.94. Although six of those scalps came in India's last two matches, the left-arm spinner was accurate and helped the team get through their overs quickly.
Jadeja batted twice in the tournament, with his cameo against New Zealand helping India achieve a mildly defendable total. As always, he was a livewire on the field and saved plenty of runs for his side. The all-rounder ended up with two Player of the Match awards to his name.
Ravichandran Ashwin: 8.5/10
Making a comeback to the Indian white-ball side after four years, Ashwin had to wait until the third game of the T20 World Cup to be included in the playing XI. He made a massive impact at the tournament, picking up six wickets in three matches at an economy rate of 5.25. The off-spinner should be part of India's limited-overs plans going forward.
Mohammed Shami: 4/10
Shami endured an inconsistent T20 World Cup campaign that was indicative of his relative inexperience in the format for India. The pacer's first five overs in the competition - spread across heavy losses to Pakistan and New Zealand - went at over 10 runs per over and didn't help Kohli gain any control over tough second innings.
Shami recovered quite well with three-wicket hauls against Afghanistan and Scotland, but even Afghanistan took him for runs in the latter part of his spell. He ended his T20 World Cup with another expensive outing against Namibia, in a game where all the other bowlers gave a decent account of themselves.
Jasprit Bumrah: 9/10
Bumrah was one of India's standout bowlers at the T20 World Cup. Defending low totals in the first two games, the spearhead never leaked runs and provided breakthroughs against the Kiwis. He continued his good form in the last few games of India's campaign and finished with seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.08.
Bumrah's assortment of yorkers, slower balls and bouncers proved why he's regarded so highly in the T20I format. He almost single-handedly carried the Indian pace attack throughout the T20 World Cup.
Rahul Chahar: 3/10
Chahar played only India's final game of the T20 World Cup against Namibia. Although he started economically, his last two overs were expensive as he lost his line and length rapidly. The leg-spinner created wicket-taking chances but squandered his opportunity in the playing XI, and his selection ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal will be talked about for a long time.
Shardul Thakur: 1/10
India's hero in the England Test series and the Chennai Super Kings' hero in the 2021 Indian Premier League, Thakur had a tough time in the T20 World Cup. Brought into the playing XI to replace the struggling Bhuvneshwar Kumar against New Zealand, he bagged a duck and leaked 17 runs in just nine balls. He then lost his place in the side as India moved towards a three-spinner strategy.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 2/10
Bhuvneshwar's form was a concern in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, and his performance in the opening game against Pakistan showed why. He lacked penetration and pace, giving away 35 runs in his three overs, and lost his place in the playing XI. It might be time for India to look past the 31-year-old.
Varun Chakravarthy: 5.5/10
Chakravarthy's mystery spin was a major talking point ahead of the T20 World Cup, with him expected to be India's X-factor on the low and slow UAE pitches. While the 30-year-old didn't put too many feet wrong over the course of the three matches he played, maintaining an economy rate of 6.45, he couldn't pick up a single wicket. To make matters worse, he sustained an injury and missed India's game against Afghanistan.
View the T20 World Cup 2021 prediction here.