The Indian team arrived into the T20 Tri-series in Sri Lanka with the vision of testing their bench strength. With Virat Kohli, Jaspreet Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar missing from the line-up, the onus fell on the young guns to prove their mettle and make the nation proud.
Here is an assessment of how the IPL stars fared in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 –
- Shikhar Dhawan Rating – Excellent
The Indian opener had a stellar series with the bat. He proved to be the highest run-getter for India in the series as he accumulated 198 runs with two fifties and ten sixes.
2. Rohit Sharma Rating – Very Good
After failing in the first three matches, Rohit played two fabulous knocks when it mattered the most for India. His innings of 89(56) and proved critical at that stage for the team.
3. Suresh Raina Rating – Good
On slow and low pitches of Sri Lanka, Raina was supposed to cement his place in the side. He managed only 103 runs in five chances with the highest score of 47. The more pleasing factor was his fielding as he took four catches on the series and saved plenty of runs as well.
4. KL Rahul Rating – Average
KL Rahul batted in only two matches. In his first innings, he achieved the dubious distinction of the first Indian to be out hit wicket in a T20I. He scored 42 runs in the series, an average performance.
5. Manish Pandey – Good
Pandey’s case has been quite curious. He got stuck in the matches and stayed at the crease but could not force the initiative. His strike rate of 119.64 is really poor in the circumstances, but we can not ignore the tally of 134 runs scored in the series.
6. Rishabh Pant – Poor
A lot was expected from the young Delhi sensation. Known for his aggressive brand of hitting even in the Ranji Trophy, it was a real surprise to see him strike at less than run-a-ball in the T20Is. In two knocks, he scored 30 runs in 31 balls.
7. Dinesh Karthik – Very Good
So much has already been said about the heroic effort of Dinesh Karthik from last night that it makes no point to justify his rating. He could not be dismissed in the series, he batted in all the five matches scoring 85 off 43 balls in total.
8. Vijay Shankar – Average
A lot was expected from the captain of Tamilnadu limited overs team captain. The all-rounder after starting off well failed miserably in the final where he could not get going at all. In bowling, he picked up three wickets in his 17 overs.
9. Washinton Sundar – Excellent
The brightest star for India in the tournament. The 18-year old Off-spinner bowled most of his overs in the powerplay and yet managed the stellar economy of 5.7 in his 20 overs. He took 8 wickets in the series, joint highest wicket-taker.
10. Yuzvendra Chahal – Very Good
Although Chahal could not replicate the terror he managed on the South African tour, he did well by taking 8 wickets in the series. He bowled his full quota in all the matches, conceding only 6.45 runs per over.
11. Shardul Thakur – Good
Blowing hot and cold on days, Shardul managed to both surprise and disappoint at times. He took a match-winning four-wicket haul in one match and only two wickets in the remaining four matches. His economy of 9.02 reflects his performance.
12. Jaydev Unadkat – Average
The most expensive Indian player at the IPL 2018 auction disappointed with his lack of penetration. Although he picked up 7 wickets in the tournament, his high economy of 9.92 tells that he suffered to control the batsmen.
13. Mohammad Siraj – Poor
The speedster failed to make a good impression as he was carted for 50 runs in the only match he played. In his T20I career of three matches, he has conceded 148 runs at an economy of 12.33.
14. Axar Patel
He was not picked in any match.
