Nidahas Trophy 2018: India Tournament Playing Ratings

The Nidahas Trophy for the T20 triangular tournament finally came to close with a humdinger between Bangladesh and India at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The series was a witness to some riveting encounters which kept the audience at the edge of their seats. India began their campaign with a lackluster performance against Sri Lanka.

However, they stormed back and won three games in a row and registered a berth in the Final, which turned out to be a thrilling contest. While some players had a successful tournament, few of them struggled to find form in the series. In our article, we rate the players as per their performance in the series.

1. Shikhar Dhawan – 9.5

Shikhar Dhawan has shown stupendous form in the series and emerged as the highest run-scorer in the series. He scored 198 runs in five games, which included a couple of stupendous knocks. He also scored the runs in double quick time and helped India to victories. He was in stupendous form against South Africa and he carried forward the form in the triangular series.

2. Rohit Sharma – 8.5  

Rohit Sharma didn’t have an overwhelming start to the tri-nation series. However, the Mumbai batsman struck form when the tournament entered the business end. He compiled a stupendous knock of 89 runs against Bangladesh in the league. The Indian makeshift skipper replicated his touch in the final and churned out a useful half-century to lay the platform for the run-chase

3. Suresh Raina – 6

Suresh Raina made his comeback in the T20I series against South Africa and performed impressively. Subsequently, he found a place in the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, he couldn’t quite hit his straps in the series. His top score of 47 runs came in the last league game against Bangladesh. However, apart from that, he struggled to set the ball rolling.

4. Manish Pandey – 8

Manish Pandey didn’t have an overly impressive series, however, he ensured that he chips in with runs. He didn’t score big in any game but ensured that there are minimum hiccups in the middle order. He remained not-out in a couple of innings. The Karnataka batsman has struggled to cement his place in the Indian team. Nevertheless, the performances will do a world of good to their confidence.

5. Dinesh Karthik – 7

Dinesh Karthik didn’t have an overwhelming series until the dying stages of the tournament. He played a couple of decent knocks earlier in the league stage. However, his most significant knock of 29 runs in the nail-biting final against Bangladesh. He took charge in the 19th over and picked the bones out of the bowling. Subsequently, he won the game for the Indians

6. Washington Sundar – 9.5

Washington Sundar entered the series as the youngest player, however, he showed nerves of a veteran, especially with the willow. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series with eight wickets in five games. Also, he ended the series having the best economy rate. He had every answer to the questions posed by the opposition batters and has deservingly been adjudged as the Man of the Series

7. Lokesh Rahul – 6

Lokesh  Rahul didn’t get many opportunities in the series. He was sidelined in the series against South Africa and he played only three games in the ongoing tri-series. He played his first game in India’s third encounter against Sri Lanka but perished early after promising for a brief phase. The Karnataka batsman also played a quick-fire knock in the Final.

8. Mohammed Siraj – 1

Mohammed Siraj had a forgettable outing in the series as he played only a single game against Bangladesh. He replaced Jaydev Unadkat in the last league game and was taken to the cleaners. He dished out loose deliveries and was carted across the park. He eventually conceded 50 runs in his quota of four overs with a consolation wicket of Mehedy Hasan Miraz.

9. Jaydev Unadkat – 7

Jaydev Unadkat hogged the headlines when he was snapped by the Rajasthan Royals. He was among the players to watch out for in the recently concluded T20 tri-nation tournament. He played four games in the series and picked up seven wickets. However, he leaked runs at an alarming rate of nearly 10 and at times struggled to put a lid on the scoring.

10. Shardul Thakur – 6.5

Shardul Thakur had contrasting performances in the tri-nation series. There were stages when he churned out his trademark knuckle-ball and bamboozled the opposition batsman. His best performance came against Sri Lanka when he notched a four-wicket haul. However, he was found wanting at many stages and was bashed severely.

11. Yuzvendra Chahal – 9

Yuzvendra Chahal has been India’s gun bowler in limited overs cricket and he did his reputation no harm in the tri-nation series. He bowled some economical spells and restricted the opposition batsman. He also emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament along with Washington Sundar.  He also conceded runs at the rate of peanuts and ended with an economy of 6.45.

12. Vijay Shankar – 6

Vijay Shankar made his debut in the recently concluded tri-nation series. He entered the series as an all-rounder but got his only opportunity with the willow in the final against Bangladesh. However, he bowled well in his previous outings. He was taken for runs on a few occasions, however, he is expected to learn with experience as his career progresses.

13. Rishabh Pant – 3

Rishabh Pant has been seen as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s replacement and was given an opportunity in the series. However, he disappointed with the willow. He got few runs in the opening game against Sri Lanka but found it difficult to time the ball. He failed in the next game against Bangladesh and subsequently lost his place in the side.