World Cup 2019: Report card of India's World Cup squad
The dream of a billion fans to see Virat Kohli's men lift the coveted ICC World Cup trophy this Sunday ended when New Zealand knocked India out of the tournament in the first semifinal of the 2019 World Cup.
The Men in Blue clearly dominated their opponents in the group stage, but the top order crumbling on the day of the semifinals against New Zealand proved to be the undoing of India's campaign at the tournament.
India kicked off their World Cup campaign on a high by winning the star-studded clashes versus South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their game against the Kiwis was washed out due to rain before the hosts England ended India's unbeaten streak in Birmingham. However, the two-time world champions bounced back in style by winning their remaining group stage encounters.
The team's middle order, which has been a matter of concern since the 2015 World Cup, proved to be the side's weak point once again. The top order and the bowlers did a commendable job to help India top the group standings but in the end, India could not lift the title.
Here's a report card which gives an insight on how the Indian stars fared at this mega-event.
Rohit Sharma - 9/10
Matches - 9, Innings - 9, Runs - 648, Average - 81.00, 100s- 5
Rohit Sharma did perform up to the mark in the IPL season which preceded the World Cup but, the Hitman proved why he is one of the best limited overs players in the world at the moment by slamming five centuries in the 2019 World Cup.
The right-handed batsman emerged as the match-winner for India in the games against Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Only one of his five hundreds went in vain which showcases his importance in the team. In the end, Sharma was just 26 runs shy from breaking Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of scoring the most runs in a single World Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan - 8/10
Matches - 2, Innings - 2, Runs - 125, Average - 62.50, Highest Score - 117
Though Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the tournament owing to an unfortunate injury, the left-handed opener managed to score a century out of the two games he played. Dhawan had a forgettable outing against South Africa in India's World Cup opener but was in his elements against Australia and led team India to a 300+ in the first innings.
Dhawan has an envious record at ICC tournaments and India dearly missed him in the big matches of this World Cup.
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