India v New Zealand, 2nd Test: India Player Ratings

India claimed a win in the Eden Gardens to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing India v New Zealand Test series. This win sees India scale the top of the ICC World Rankings in Test matches, something they are staking their claim to after a long period of time. In a Test match that saw quite a lot of tugging and see-saw moments take place, it seems quite clear that this certainly ranks as one of India’s better victories.

Wriddhiman Saha was the star of the show as the Indians got their win within the close of the fourth day’s play. While cricket is indeed a team sport, it is only fair to assume that the player ratings for the Indian team will be viewed as a report card for their performance in the second Test. That said, we take a look at how each individual player performed.

Shikhar Dhawan – 3.5/10

Having been dropped from the first Test, it was quite a surprise to see Shikhar Dhawan picked ahead of Gautam Gambhir. However, with the Indian management having gone ahead with Dhawan on the side, the southpaw disappointed with the bat again. He managed 17 runs in the second innings and was hammered a couple of times on the thumb in the first innings by Trent Boult.

Murali Vijay – 2.5/10

Murali Vijay claimed the catch that brought an end to what was an extremely entertaining Test match at the Eden Gardens. However, his exploits with the bat were quite poor as he managed 9 and 7 in the first and second innings respectively. However, in spite of this, the 32-year old will be unlikely to face the axe for the final Test at Indore.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 7/10

The 28-year old’s rise in the current scheme of things has seen him become one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that have brought the Indians to the top of the rankings. Pujara played an important innings on the first day amassing 87 runs, the highest individual score in the series thus far. The second innings saw Pujara get trapped quite unluckily in what was seeming to be a strong performance with the bat.

Virat Kohli – 6.5/10

Although the form of the Indian skipper is slightly off, Virat Kohli has been an important figure in the Indian team as he should. The 27-year old, however, came up trumps in the second innings and ensured that the Indians were dug out of trouble with a well-made 45, something that was deemed by the experts and the pundits as ‘classy’.

Ajinkya Rahane – 7/10

The Indian vice-captain impressed with a half-century in the first innings. His patient 77 in the first innings and partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara saw him play an active part in digging the Indians out of a hole. Apart from some impeccable fielding, Rahane failed to make an impact with the bat in the second innings.

Rohit Sharma – 6.5/10

Rohit Sharma rekindled his love affair with the Eden Gardens with some classy batting in the second innings. In spite of the setback in the first innings, Sharma smashed the ball to different parts of the ground and managed 82 important runs. He also impressed quite a bit with some decent fielding prowess.

Ravi Ashwin – 6/10

The 30-year old did not have the impact he usually does in Test cricket in spite of India’s fighting win. He managed just 31 runs in both innings, 26 of which came in the first innings. He picked up 4 wickets, three of which came in the final innings of the match. Needless to say, Ashwin provided a few tight overs and a few crucial breakthroughs in the final innings as well.

Wriddhiman Saha – 8/10

Since his ton in the West Indies, Wriddhiman Saha has blossomed into a fine lower middle-order batsman. The 31-year old smashed a half-century in each innings, something that would have been quite emotional given that he has played a massive chunk of his cricketing career at the Eden Gardens. He also remained unbeaten in both endeavors.

Also read – Latest ICC Rankings: India reclaims top spot in Test rankings

Ravindra Jadeja – 6.5/10

By the end of the match, Ravindra Jadeja would have been on the receiving end following some of the frustrations he showed whilst bowling, most of which were directed at standing umpire, Rod Tucker. However, in spite of this, Jadeja kept things quite tight whilst bowling on a wicket that gave spinners little or no assistance.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 7/10

Similar to his entry into the side in the West Indies, Bhuvneshwar Kumar entered the second Test at the Eden Gardens with a five-wicket haul. The first innings saw him conclude with figures of 5/48, something that helped the Indians bowl the Kiwis out for 204. He, however, picked jus the one wicket in the fourth innings of the match.

Mohammad Shami – 6.5/10

Yet another player playing in front of his home ground was Mohammad Shami. While we did not see much of the pacer in the first innings, Shami came around in the second innings and bowled his heart out including a long spell of bowling towards the conclusion of the day’s play. His second innings performance saw him conclude with figures of 3/46.