England vs India 2014 - 3rd Test: Players ratings for Team India

On 10th July 2011, MS Dhoni decided to draw a test match in Dominica, West Indies. Since then India hadn’t won a single overseas match. They faced humiliation in England and Australia, lost one and drew one in New Zealand and South Africs.On 25th August 2013, the English players decided to urinate on the Oval’s pitch to celebrate their Ashes win. Since then they had played 9 matches and had won in none. Lost 7 and drawn 2.India broke the Dominica Curse at Lord’s and England followed suit at the Ageas Bowl. England’s performance was simply outstanding and a team that manages to dominate the opponents in all sessions like they did deserve to win. The home team would be really happy with the way they played. They outperformed India in every aspect of the game. They bowled well, batted well and their catching in the slips was exceptional.India’s woes started with Jadeja dropping Cook at 15 and ended with Moeen Ali’s 6-67. The way India played in this match was reminiscent of the 2011 series. Batsmen threw away starts, the slip fielding was horrible, and bowlers were clueless about line and length. Only Rahane was the positive in the whole match. He stood his ground while all others around him were falling like nine pins.The negatives were in heaps. Let us take a look at how the Indian players performed and score them accordingly.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

It came as a huge surprise to everyone when Shikhar Dhawan’s wasn’t the first wicket to fall in India’s second innings. That is how bad he has played in the series. He has an average of just 20 in the 3 Test matches. His scores of 6 and 37 in this match are not what you’d expect from your opener. Add to that his slip fielding woes. He dropped regulation catches at second slip which ensured that the English batsmen scored big.  With Gautam Gambhir looking behind his shoulders, he’d be extremely lucky if he gets to play in the next match.

Contribution: 6 and 37

Score: 3/10