India v South Africa 2015, 3rd ODI – Player Ratings

India v South Africa 2015, 3rd ODI – Player Ratings: South Africa gained a 2-1 lead after winning the 3rd ODI match at Rajkot. The batsmen faltered at the most crucial part of the chase which eventually costed India the match.

India did everything well until the last 15 overs of the second innings. They bowled effectively and did not let the South African batsmen unleash themselves in the death over and restricted them for 270/7.

With a target of 271 runs to chase. Indians were at a decent position to win the match at one stage with Virat and Dhoni well set and batting together. However, Morne Morkel struck at the right time for South Africa and claimed their wickets to shatter India’s hopes of chasing down the target. He changed the course of the match with his spell of 4/39.

India:

Rohit Sharma – 7/10:

Rohit Sharma gave India the start which was needed for the chase. Yet another big score was expected from him after he reached his half-century. However, he could not stay for very long and soon lost his wicket to JP Duminy for a well-made 65.

Shikhar Dhawan – 2.5/10:

Shikhar Dhawan’s poor run with the bat in this series continued in this match too. He was yet again dismissed cheaply at the score of 13 runs. His lack of form needs to be taken seriously.

Virat Kohli – 7/10:

Virat Kohli was not able to complete the chase as it was anticipated from him. It was unusual to see Kohli bat very cautiously. Normally, he perfectly sets the rhythm of the game. However, he simply could not change the tempo of the chase and struggled to hit boundaries. It was sad to see him depart in the 44th over. The hope of winning ended with his departure.

MS Dhoni – 6/10:

MS Dhoni yet again experimented with his batting position. He promoted himself to number 4 and built a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli. However, he too was not able to hit the big shots and failed to set the momentum right during the chase. Dhoni lost his wicket at a very crucial time to Morne Morkel. He scored a below par 47 runs off 61 balls.

Suresh Raina – 2.5/10:

Suresh Raina was dismissed for a duck for the second consecutive time in the series. He came in at a time when his big hitting quality was needed the most. However, he failed to live up to the expectation and was dismissed by Imran Tahir. The rating he has secured is just for his efforts on the field.

Ajinkya Rahane – 5/10:

Ajinkya Rahane is not habitual of playing in such situations. India needed to score at a run rate of over 9 runs per over. Rahane is not a big hitter and that is the reason he cannot be blamed today.

Axar Patel – 5/10:

Axar Patel tried to hit some hard shots at the end of the chase. He, obviously had no chance to save the match in any case. With the ball, he played his role decently and finished the match with figures of 1/51 to his name.

Harbhajan Singh – 8/10:

Harbhajan tried to fight a lost battle. He made a 17 ball 20 with the bat. He was good with the ball and was instrumental in building the early pressure on the South African batsman. He ended with figures of 1/41 from his 10 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 2.5/10:

Bhuvneshwar had an ordinary day today. He could not pick any wickets and ended his day wicket less. However, he bowled pretty well in the penultimate overs and did not leak runs unnecessarily.

Amit Mishra – 8/10:

Amit Mishra was exceptional today. He created the pressure with his disciplined leg spin bowling. He was very difficult to go after. Mishra could only strike once during the match and finished his quota of 10 overs by conceding just 38 runs.

Mohit Sharma – 7.5/10:

Mohit Sharma was better as compared to the other seamer Bhuvi. He got the well set Faf du Plessis and the dangerous JP Duminy. Those wickets were very important from team’s point of view. Mohit returned with figures of 9-0-62-2.

South Africa:

David Miller- 5/10:

It was surprising to see David Miller open the innings. He did a decent job and looked comfortable. But, soon he lost his wicket to Harbhajan Singh. The experiment by South Africa did not really work very well but was not a totally flop strategy either.

Quinton de Cock – 8.5/10:

Quinton de Cock batted well right from the start of the innings. De Cock fought heat and cramps to hit his 4^th century against India. His innings of 103 formed the backbone of the South African innings.

Hashim Amla – 2.5/10:

Amla came in to bat at number 3 today. But could not stay long enough. He was out at a paltry score of 5 runs. In the last few matches, he has surprisingly failed make big score.

Faf du Plessis – 7.5/10:

Faf du Plessis scored yet another half century. He scored a nearly run a ball 60 and was the second highest scorer for South Africa today.

AB de Villiers – 6/10:

It was a rare failure for AB de Villiers. The situation in which he came in was perfect for him to unleash his batting. But, unfortunately, he was trapped leg before by Axar Patel. AB gets more points for the way he captained his team and led them to an unlikely win.

JP Duminy – 4/10:

JP Duminy also failed to utilise the opportunity to give the finishing touch to the South African innings. He came in to bat after AB de Villiers got out but could only accumulate 14 run in as many deliveries.

Farhaan Behardien – 6/10:

Farhan Behardien had the responsibility to finish the South African innings on a high. Although, he could not make a very huge impact but made a decent contribution during the death overs scoring 33 off 36 balls.

Dale Steyn – 5/10:

Dale Steyn was average today. He failed to pick any wicket and looked faded while bowling. Steyn fined the game with a below par figures of 0/65 at the end of the match.

Kagiso Rabada – 8/10:

Kagiso Rabada has been a revelation for South Africa in this series. He continued his good form with the bat and bowled at lively pace. Even though he was wicket less today but kept building pressure on the Indian batsmen.

Imran Tahir – 7.5/10:

Imran Tahir had a satisfying day today in the field. He bowled tight lines and mixed his googlies very well to keep the Indian batsmen in control. He finished with the figures of 1/51.

Morne Morkel – 9/10:

Morkel was adjudged as the Man of the Match today. He claimed figures of 4/39 which included the all-important wickets of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He was, like always, not easy to face and generated good pace and bounce.

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