Australia vs India, Test Series 2018-19: India Player Ratings

1983 World Cup, 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy – after these historic results, this result in the land of Kangaroos will certainly rank as one of the greatest achievements in Indian cricket history. 87 years after playing its first Test, India managed to win a Test series in Australia for the first time and in the process, they retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

This has been one colossal effort from Virat Kohli and his dynamic troops, who put in their heart and soul into the Test series, ended up doing what no other Indian side could. Steve Smith and David Warner’s presence was surely missed, but the hosts still had a stellar bowling attack and can’t search for reasons for this horrendous result.

Tim Paine’s leadership has not been as bad as a few pundits had expected, but this definitely wasn’t the finest Aussie side Indians played. The Kangaroos fought hard till the end, registered a great win in Perth, but this series was all about the Indians.

On this historic occasion, let’s take a look at how the visiting players have fared:

1. KL Rahul – 2/10

Probably the biggest disappointment and the worst victim of trolls, KL Rahul is encountering a nasty phase in his career. Apart from a quickfire knock in the second innings at Adelaide, he has done nothing special and only added more burden on the middle order. Since the 44-run knock played a huge role in determining the Adelaide result, he gets one extra point. But still, this was a forgettable tour for him.

2. Mayank Agarwal – 8/10

He waited, waited and waited for his chance and when it finally knocked on the door, Agarwal proved that he belongs to this level. In the three innings Mayank Agarwal played, he registered two fifties and perhaps on the flat SCG track, he had a glorious opportunity to make it large. That wasn’t to be, but this is a promising start to the 27-year-old’s career.

3. Murali Vijay – 1/10

After serving the Indian cricket so brilliantly in the last half a decade, we might have seen the end of Murali Vijay after the Perth Test. For a player who is known to be technically shrewd and mentally strong, to see him struggle to get bat on ball was heartbreaking. Without any doubt, the most disappointing rendition among the whole squad.

4. Cheteshwar Pujara – 10/10

Sometimes its just better to not scrutinize anything and enjoy a special performance that is unfolding in front of your eyes. Cheteshwar Pujara pulled off a titanic, herculean and gobsmacking performance, one which will be reiterated by cricket pundits as one of the finest individual efforts of all time. His temperament, fortitude and sheer ingenuity to outsmart the hosts was just awe-inspiring.

5. Virat Kohli – 7/10

It was astonishing to see some fans calling Virat Kohli’s performance “underwhelming”, but the reason is understandable as they expected something bigger than what he did last time in Australia. That wasn’t to be the case, but Kohli did collect 282 valuable runs and led the side brilliantly throughout the series. His knock at Perth is already hailed as one of his finest and he certainly would be the proudest of all right now.

6. Ajinkya Rahane – 6/10

Maybe Ajinkya Rahane’s performance was worth a five, but one extra point for his outstanding knock in Perth. It seemed like he rediscovered himself and the way he took on the short balls, leaving the Aussie quicks shell-shocked, was pure bliss. Having said that, he has stiff competition to maintain a spot in the team and to just say his place is in danger would be an understatement.

7. Hanuma Vihari – 5/10

He has not done enough to solidify his place in the XI, but this was a pretty decent effort from the new kid on the block. Hanuma Vihari certainly has a bit of VVS Laxman in his approach and even when he was asked to open the batting at the MCG, he did show great courage. Just for the commitment the lad has shown, he gets a five.

8. Rohit Sharma – 5/10

A very important half century from Rohit Sharma at the MCG propelled India to 443 runs in their first innings, which as it turned out was big enough to earn them a win. He tried to prove a point that “Rohit Sharma is relevant in the longer format” and to an extent, he’s done a good job.

9. Rishabh Pant – 8/10

One of the biggest bonuses of this series was how much Rishabh Pant has matured as a batsman. There was no doubt he’s a good keeper and can get better, but his reckless batting was still a concern. Pant showed great composure and worked relentlessly for his runs and despite all this, he scored at a strike rate of 73.99, highest for any batsman who opened their account. The only battle he probably lost was his sledging banter, which clearly was bossed by Aussie skipper Tim Paine.

10. Ravindra Jadeja – 6/10

A rejuvenated Jadeja proved a hard nut to crack both with bat and ball for the Aussies. In just two games, he managed to pick seven big wickets and chipped in with a crucial 81-run knock in the first innings in the fourth Test. He is surely marching towards a spot in the World Cup squad with some impeccable consistency.

11. Ravichandran Ashwin – 5/10

Just one game to judge from, but he did make life difficult for the visiting batsmen. In his previous visit to Australia, Ravi Ashwin was hammered brutally but he seemed a different bowler this time. His six wickets in Adelaide did play a big part in India’s series triumph, but the fans would’ve loved to seem a bit more of him.

12. Mohammed Shami – 8/10

It was a classic old-school fast bowling performance from Shami as he played all the four games, restricting Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the bench. He consistently hit the right areas even when the wickets weren’t coming thus, making batsmen work terribly hard for their runs. He continued to be a better bowler in the second innings but formed a formidable partnership with the other two pacers.

13. Jasprit Bumrah – 9/10

Currently hailed as the best in the business, Jasprit Bumrah has been adding more feathers to his increasingly attractive portfolio of stellar renditions. It was fitting that he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series and the fact that he’s still 25-years-old makes the world wonder how far can this lad go. Arguably, this was one of the finest fast bowling spectacles by an Indian outside Asia.

14. Kuldeep Yadav – 6/10

Got to play just one game and made merry of the subcontinent reminiscent conditions in Sydney. He became the first Indian to pick a five-fer in his first innings on Australian soil. Everything went according to plan for India and this probably was the only game Kuldeep was considered for a spot in the XI. As it turns out, the captain’s trust was well and truly repaid.

15. Ishant Sharma – 7/10

Deserved to get a few more wickets, but Ishant Sharma fared pretty decently in all the three games he played. Every time the skipper had a plan, he executed it perfectly but reaped very little reward. Never looked out of shape and maintained great control over the red cherry. 11 wickets in three Tests definitely ain’t a bad take away for Ishant.

16. Umesh Yadav – 3/10

Played just one game in Perth and was a tad expensive. He lacked consistency and bowled with little control and thus returned with just two wickets. After a fabulous home season where he was at his very best, Umesh has failed to replicate his performances overseas and might as well fall behind in the times to come.

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