From the second test match, it is fair to say that there were loads of Indian players who impressed with their individual performances. However, some players did not live up to their expectations. Below, you will see a rating out of 10 for EVERY Indian player who played the second test match. Do you agree? Comment down below your thoughts.
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Indian Player Ratings:
Rohit Sharma: Rohit had an impressive game, considering the amount of pressure he received after a poor performance in the first test. His first-innings score of 161 (off 231 deliveries) was vital in ensuring that India had control over England on Day 1, ever since Rohit’s knock, England looked hopeless and had no answers to India’s brilliance with the bat. That goes to show how important Rohit’s knock was in making sure that India had control early on in the game. The fact that Rohit’s second innings score of 26 (off 70 balls) was not what we expected, given the form he was in, should not affect his overall score, as it was a tricky pitch to bat on and a score of 20 can be excused after a glorious 161 in the first innings. Based on Rohit’s brilliance in the 1st innings, it would be cruel to not give him 10/10.
Shubman Gill: Despite being a fantastic young player for India, it is evident that, the usually consistent, Shubman Gill would not have been too proud of his 3-ball duck and score of 14 (off 28 deliveries) in the second innings. However, with an average of 39.1 and 3 scores of fifty or more in his ongoing test career, I am certain that Shubman Gill will bounce back from this test match and produce some great knocks. He should not be judged based on this test alone: all great players will have good and bad test matches. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to give Shubman Gill a score greater than 3/10, though this is not a fair representation of him as a player.
Cheteshwar Pujara: Pujara was another consistent batsman who failed to perform in the 2nd test match. In the 1st innings, Pujara only managed 21 runs (off 58 balls),before he uncharacteristically gifted his wicket to Jack Leach when he looked to advance down the pitch, only to be caught at second slip by Ben Stokes. Though, it was a good ball by Leach, Pujara could have avoided the dismissal. In the second innings, Pujara was very unlucky with his dismissal (his bat got stuck in the turf, therefor preventing Pujara from making his ground in time). Whether or not Pujara would have added to his score of 7 (off 23 balls), we will never know!!! Pujara’s total of 38 runs in the match, means that it would be hard to give him anything more than a 4, but taking into consideration his bad luck, we will give him a score of 5/10.
Virat Kohli: The Indian talisman had mixed performances this test match, with a 5-ball duck and a 62 (off 149 balls). Virat’s duck in the first innings was somewhat justifiable if you take into consideration how he got out to a beauty by Moeen Ali. However, Rohit Sharma gave his skipper a masterclass on how to play that ball by effectively using the sweep shot, thus suggesting Moeen’s peach of a delivery wasn’t ‘unplayable’. Kohli’s 62 in the second innings was spectacular to watch and was crucial given the context of the game. He combined with Ashwin to post a vital 96-run partnership that revived India’s second innings. It is also important to note that Kohli was the winning captain and some of the bowling changes he made were spot on, such as bringing on Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav at crucial moments. Having weighed in both his performances and his improved captaincy, Kohli gets a score of 7/10.
Ajinkya Rahane: With the vice-captain not making a notable score since his MCG epic, he was under pressure to score runs and he delivered under pressure!! Rahane, calm as ever, posted an incredible 67 off 149 balls, that proved to be critical in the mammoth 162-run partnership between himself and Rohit Sharma. The partnership was vital in giving India control of the game and given how Rahane contributed a fair amount to the partnership, one must give Rahane a high rating for his 1st innings, even if he only scored 10 (off 14 balls) in the second innings. In addition, he took some good catches at 1st slip and was integral in supporting the bowlers in the scorching heat. Hence, Rahane’s dogged knock deserves nothing less than 8/10.
Rishabh Pant: The India youngster proved how important he was to the team’s success in red-ball cricket with a vital knock of 58* (off just 77 deliveries) in the 1st innings. After losing the quick wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin, a batting collapse for India was inevitable with the score at 284/6. However, Pant’s composure under pressure took India to 329 at the fall of no’ 11, Mohammed Siraj. His rating is also boosted by the fact that his knock was a ‘not-out’, meaning there was a chance for him to score more had the number eleven lasted longer. Pant’s failure to score big in the first innings is disregarded based on the fact that his keeping was excellent. His catches to dismiss Ollie Pope and Jack Leach were impressive, but more so, when you realise how little time he had to react. His keeping has certainly improved since the tour of Australia, he has given India reason to believe that he should be their first choice glove man, even if it means dropping the experienced Wriddhiman Saha. Furthermore, Pant’s stumping of Dan Lawrence just showed how much potential he has with the gloves and his dedication to his role. Sure, Pant let a few byes go and shelled 1 or 2 tough chances, but that can be expected on a turning track. Nonetheless, his performance behind the stumps and with the bat shows how he can be a match-winner for India, hence his rating of 9/10.
Axar Patel: Though Patel didn’t have the toughest shoes to fill when replacing Shahbaz Nadeem, he still delivered with an exceptional performance on his debut. The 27-year old bagged 7 wickets in the match at a cost of only 100 runs, with a magnificent 5/60 in the second innings (and 2/40 in the first innings). Patel also deserves further credit, as he was responsible for the dismissal of the in-form English skipper, Joe Root, in both the innings. Patel’s fine performance on debut played a role in India’s thumping victory over England, hence Patel deserves no less than 8/10.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Not much needs to be said about Ashwin’s extraordinary performance in the second test. To get a 5-fer and a 100 in the same match, that too against a quality England side, requires something special. Ashwin’s first innings with the bat was ordinary for someone that low down the order: 13 off 19 balls. However, it was his second innings with the bat that made Ashwin the man of the moment. On a turning track, against Moeen Ali and Jack Leach, who were both extracting some serious turn, Ashwin smashed a delightful 106 off 148 deliveries. In addition, Ashwin was brilliant as always with the ball with match figures of 8/96, including an unplayable 5/43 in the first innings — and a respectable 3/53 in the second innings. Local hero Ashwin had a complete performance in the second test and the least he deserves for his performance is a score of 10/10.
Ishant Sharma: India’s legendary pace man only bowled 11 overs in the match and understandably so, when you realise how little assistance the pitch offered to the fast bowlers. Nevertheless, Ishant managed to pick up the wickets of Rory Burns and Jack Leach in the first innings (2/22), though he failed to pick up wickets in the second innings (0/13). However, Ishant managed to keep things tight with his bowling as he finished with an overall figure of 2/35, which can’t be criticised much. Owing to the fact that Ishant was not bowled that much, it would be hard to rate him too highly despite him making an impact on the game when given the chance. As a result Ishant is scored a respectable 5/10.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep was another bowler who was perhaps under bowled, however, Virat was possibly justified in not giving Kuldeep the ball as much, given how well Axar and Ashwin were bowling. In the first innings, Kuldeep bowled 6 overs and conceded 16 runs at an economy of 2.67. In his second innings, Kuldeep bowled 6.2 overs and conceded 25 runs, but picked up the wickets of Ben Foakes and Moeen Ali. Kuldeep ended up with match figures of 2/41 at a decent economy of 3.3. Foakes played a good knock in the first innings and Moeen was superb in the second innings, suggesting that Kuldeep’s ‘victims’ were respectable. Similar to Ishant, it’s hard to give a high rating to someone who’s only bowled 12 overs, but, we have to accept that Kuldeep’s bowling was tight in the first innings and in the second innings he picked up crucial wickets, hence he is rated 5/10.
Mohammed Siraj: From the mere 8 overs he bowled, India’s hero in Australia, managed to pick up 1 wicket at the cost of 11 runs. His bowling was tight (economy of 1.375) and effective, as he got the wicket of Olly Stone as soon as he was called upon. Apart from that, not much else can be said about his bowling, especially has he only bowled 8 overs. Siraj did also drop a fairly easy catch of Joe Root, luckily it did not prove to be too costly. Nonetheless, Siraj deserves immense credit for the way he stuck around with Ashwin until he got his century. Batting at number 11, Siraj knows his job is to bowl and not the bat. Siraj knows that him failing with the bat would not damage his spot in the team, regardless of that, he makes it his mission to stick around until Ashwin got his ton (and he even hit two sixes after that!!!!). Given how Siraj did his job — bat and ball — and performed when require, even if he was not called upon too much, a score of 6/10 is well justified.