India v New Zealand, 3rd T20I - India Player Ratings

The rain gods had threatened to play the spoilsport in the series decider between India and New Zealand at Trivandrum big time. Heavy downpour in the city for the last couple of days had left little or no hopes for the match to get underway. But some very efficient ground work saw Trivandrum make its debut as the international cricket venue. It became the 50th international venue in India.

Also, the highly patient crowds that had flocked the stadium got value for their money eventually. It was a shortened game on the cards that saw both sides bat for 8 overs each. Coming to the game, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Indian batting started off on a pale note with both openers back in the hut cheaply. Skipper Virat Kohli lit the stands with a six but perished soon after.

The story for the batsmen who followed in next was no different either as India finished with 67 runs on the board in 8 overs. In the run chase, the wickets kept tumbling but the Kiwi side managed to take things to the final over of the game. The ask proved to be a little too much for the lower middle-order as India wrapped up the series 2-1 with a 6 run win in the final game.

Here are the India Player Ratings for the match:

Shikhar Dhawan – 3/10

The Indian openers had a bad time at the crease. This was their second consecutive failure in the series. After having failed to perform in the previous game, Shikhar Dhawan was expected to score runs in this game. The southpaw failed to give the brisk start that the Indian team needed on the day. He hit an odd boundary during his 6 ball stay at the crease. He was dismissed by Tim Southee on 6 in the third over of the game.

Rohit Sharma – 3/10

Shikhar Dhawan’s partner, Rohit Sharma, shared a similar fate as that of Dhawan. Rohit was seen struggling during his 9-ball stay at the crease. He also managed to hit a boundary, albeit a mistimed shot. In the shortened game, team India needed a firepower start, and Rohit and Dhawan certainly failed big time in their attempt to do so.

Virat Kohli – 6/10

Team India skipper Virat Kohli arrived at the crease after the dismissal of both the Indian openers. He needed very little time to settle in though. He was quick to latch on to his first six of the match. His six lightened up the stadium as the crowds erupted in joy. Another boundary was all that Kohli could hit though before getting dismissed on 13 that came off 6 deliveries. With the captaincy hat, Kohli was spot on as he made some bold decisions that included bowling out Bhuvneshwar Kumar early in the game.

Shreyas Iyer – 3/10

Young Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer got an extended run in the series. He managed to hold to his position in the playing eleven. However, he could not make the most out of the opportunity that he got. Iyer scored a run-a-ball six before becoming Ish Sodhi’s victim in the match.

Manish Pandey – 5/10

Considering the shortened game, the Indian team beefed up their batting to ensure enough firepower was available at their disposal. The beneficiary here was Manish Pandey as he replaced Mohammad Siraj in the lineup. Pandey announced himself in good fashion, hitting a boundary off the second ball that he faced in the match. He later clubbed a maximum too. He finished with 17 runs to his name in the 11 balls that he faced.

Hardik Pandya – 7/10

The moment the fans saw a shortened game on cards, they knew big shots were about to come their way. And the name that prompts up every time the topic of big hitting comes to the frame is Hardik Pandya. Pandya arrived at the crease quite late but had a couple of overs to play. He, however, could only hit one maximum during his stay at the crease. He remained unbeaten on 14 off 10 deliveries. In the second innings, Pandya accounted for the run out Kane Williamson. He also bowled the final over of the match and had 19 to defend, which he managed to d0 albeit with a scare.

MS Dhoni – 3/10

Wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni arrived in the game after being under some serious pressure from the media. He, however, did not get an opportunity to bat. He came at the crease in the final over but did not get a ball to face. With the gloves, there was no error from his end in the game and had a run out of Tom Bruce to his name.

Kuldeep Yadav – 6.5/10

Young chinaman Kuldeep Yadav was drafted in the playing eleven at the expense of Axar Patel in the side. Yadav responded well and was in action straightaway. He bowled only one over in the match and gave away 10 runs. He bagged the wicket of Glenn Philips.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 9/10

Yuzvendra Chahal looked like the only fragile link in the shortened game for team India. Considering the run leaking habits of a leg spinner, Chahal was expected to be at the expensive end. However, the leggie bowled exceptionally well on the day to be the most economical of all bowlers. He gave away only 8 runs in his spell of two overs. His overs with the ball were like gold dust on the day.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 7/10

Ace Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled decently enough on the day. He would have liked it even more had he conceded fewer runs though. He gave away 18 runs in the two overs that he bowled. Bhuvi managed to get rid of Martin Guptill in the match. Kohli asked his prime bowler to complete both his overs on a trot in the match and Bhuvi responded well to the task.

Jasprit Bumrah – 9.5/10

Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers on the day. Bumrah showed it yet again why he is regarded as one of the best death overs bowlers in the world cricket. He returned with exceptional figures of 2/9 in the two overs that he bowled. He dismissed the dangerman Colin Munro cheaply in his very first over. Later, he accounted for the dismissal of Henry Nicholls in his second over.