India v Australia, 5th ODI - India's player ratings

After tottering in the 4th ODI, India managed to beat their Aussie opponents fair and square in all departments at the Jamtha Stadium, Nagpur. With the bowlers exhibiting a top draw performance, Rohit Sharma’s 14th ton was a perfect way to compliment it and the hosts reclaimed the top spot in ODI rankings with a 4-1 triumph in the 5-match series.

Batting first, David Warner and Aaron Finch once again laid solid foundation for their side. The duo added 66 for the first wicket in no time and they looked well set for another big score. But both these players failed to convert their good starts to big scores. Skipper Steve Smith’s poor run in the series continued as he got dismissed for a 16.

Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis played a crucial role in giving their side a decent total on board. Both these players added 87 runs for the 5th wicket and unfortunately, both fell just short of their half-centuries. Though it seemed like they’d touch the 260 mark, some brilliant death overs bowling from Bhvuneshwar Kumar and Bumrah restricted them to 242 for the loss of 9 scalps.

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane wasted no time in chasing the relatively moderate target down. The duo added 124 for the first wicket and the game was pretty much done and dusted at that point. Though Rahane fell after scoring a half-century, Rohit and Kohli added 99 runs for the second wicket and almost condensed the target together. Rohit got to his 14th ODI hundred with a six in the process and though Kohli and Rohit walked back, India registered a 7-wicket win with 43 balls to spare.

Here are the player ratings of the Indian side, who looked clinical in all three departments.

Rohit Sharma 9/10

Another brilliant knock for the Mumbaiker. Once again, he finishes as the highest run scorer in an Indo-Australia bilateral series. The knock pretty much covered every aspect where he excels and this century will go down as one the most fluent knocks he ever played.

Ajinkya Rahane 7.5/10

What a performance from Rahane in the entire series! Coming in as a back up opener and registering 3 opening hundred partnerships is absolutely sensational. He played some delightful shots and complimented Rohit brilliantly through out the innings.

Virat Kohli 7/10

A tactical masterclass from the skipper. He made full use of his spinners and few of his bowling changes worked wonders for the side. With the bat, he missed out on a well deserved half-century, but played a brilliant second-fiddle to Rohit in their partnership.

Manish Pandey 6/10

He took one simple catch at long-on to dismiss the dangerous David Warner. Barring that, he didn’t get too involved in the side. Pandey came out to bat with 20 runs remaining to get and he steered his side over the winning line.

Kedar Jadhav 7/10

For a man who picked up just 1 first-class wicket before making International debut, 1/48 in 10 overs against a rampant Australian side is remarkable. With the ball gripping well, Kohli decided to go with Jadhav ahead of Pandya and he in return, picked up the prized scalp of Steve Smith.

MS Dhoni 6.5/10

On a pitch which provided sharp turn for the spinners, MS Dhoni brought in his A game with the gloves behind the sticks. He didn’t get a chance to bat, but he played a couple of decent knocks this series, which’ll boost his confidence a lot.

Hardik Pandya 6.5/10

With the bat, people aren’t oblivious to Pandya’s exploits but with the ball, he is proving to be a partnership breaker for his side. Pandya sent the dangerous Aaron Finch back in his short-little 2-over spell.

Axar Patel 9/10

Arguably the best player on the day, Axar Patel proved to be a lethal weapon in Kohli’s arsenal today. He picked up 3 wickets in his full quota of 10 overs, giving away just 38 runs. He was a nightmare to deal with in the middle overs and he’s making a strong case for himself in the Indian side.

Kuldeep Yadav 6/10

He had a decent day, but had nothing to boast about in the wickets column. Kuldeep Yadav is turning out to be one of the best bowlers in the country and he was unfortunate to not pick up any wicket on this track, but he did come close on a few occasions.

Bhuneshwar Kumar 7.5/10

Splendid with the new ball, splendid at the death. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is such an invaluable asset in the team and his stature is just growing without looking back. He returned with figures of 1/40 and his combat with David Warner was worth watching.

Jasprit Bumrah 8/10

After giving away 34 runs in his first 4 overs, Bumrah gave away 17 in his next six. Considering a fact that most of these six overs were bowled in the final 10, Bumrah’s performance deserves quite an applause. He returned with figures of 2/51 and he also bowled 2 maidens in his spell.