ICC World Cup 2019: Match 8, SA v IND – India Player Ratings

The way Rohit Sharma played during the initial phase of his knock when Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris were steaming in was excellent. He’s had his own share of luck but to still make it count on such a massive stage needs something exceptional. Watching Sharma bat seemed as if it was a river in flow, completely natural about it yet so elegant. The Indian vice-captain took the onus upon himself after Virat got out early and ensured that he got the job done.

Shikhar Dhawan – 2/10

Shikhar Dhawan got an absolute gift in the middle of a fiery spell from Rabada which he hit for a boundary. Other than that, there aren’t many speaking points and all he managed to get was 8 runs.

Virat Kohli – 4/10

It was an unusual knock from Indian skipper Virat Kohli. He was tested against the swinging ball and tried to see through the phase where the ball was doing the talking. Though, he was done by some extra bounce and an unbelievable take by Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. While Virat scored only 18 off 34 balls with the bat, he gains some extra points for his captaincy. The way he set-up Quinton de Kock’s dismissal was outstanding.

KL Rahul — 6/10

After a lot of huffs and puffs, the selection committee has awarded the No 4 spot to KL Rahul after his outstanding show in the warm-up match against New Zealand. He looked to be in decent touch after Shikhar Dhawan and Skipper Virat Kohli returned early by making the scenario little jittery fro India. The right-hander stuck well to the crease. Rahul and Rohit Sharma stitched an 85 run-partnership. After scoring 26 off 42 balls — laced with 2 boundaries — Rahul was trapped by Kagiso Rabada.

MS Dhoni – 5.5/10

It was a traditional MS Dhoni kind of innings that he played in this game. He started slowly, then got going with a couple of boundaries and ran hard between the wickets. However, he tried to challenge himself and attempted hitting a few big shots during the course of his innings. He didn’t find much success and got out after scoring 34 runs off 46 balls. The wicket-keeper batsman ended up giving a skier to the bowler and affected one stumping behind the wickets.

Kedar Jadhav – 1.5/10

Coming back from his injury, Kedar Jadhav didn’t get to bat in this match. He bowled 4 overs where he conceded 16 runs.

Hardik Pandya – 4.5/10

Hardik Pandya was slightly expensive with the ball and gave 31 runs in the 6 overs that he bowled. While he went wicketless with the ball, he was in a hurry with the bat as soon as he walked out. He finished the match in style as he scored 15 off 7 balls comprising 3 boundaries.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 6/10

It wasn’t the best of outings for Bhuvneshwar Kumar who got a nod ahead of Mohammad Shami. He was economical giving away 44 runs off his 10 overs and picked up two wickets of the tail-enders in the last over of the innings.

Kuldeep Yadav – 5/10

Kuldeep Yadav dismissed JP Duminy and conceded 46 runs in 10 overs. Even though he didn’t have the best of IPL seasons, he seemed to be a confident man in this game.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 9.5/10

Yuzvendra Chahal turned around the tide of the Proteas innings by picking up two well-set batsmen in the 20th over. He used his variations brilliantly raising several doubts in the minds of the batsmen. The leg-spinner picked another two wickets in his maiden World Cup outing but missed out on a well-deserved 5-wicket haul.

Jasprit Bumrah – 8/10

Jasprit Bumrah was literally unplayable when he was operating with the new ball. Pace, bounce and seam movement – it was all there in his bowling in this game. He dismissed both the South African openers and was excellent in the game. His spell of 10 overs, where he conceded just 35 runs, played a significant role in keeping South Africa down to 227.