ICC World Cup 2015: India vs Bangladesh - Player ratings

Indian players celebrating after the wicket of Sarkar

When there were suggestions to not write India off easily, people laughed. Today, nearly five weeks after the World Cup started, India are at the threshold of something great. They are two victories away from retaining the World Cup in a territory that least suits their style of play. MSD has a 100 ODI wins, Team India has 7 in 7. And Bangladesh? Bangladesh are on their way back home after a spirited showing in the World Cup.

Here’s how the players fared in today’s encounter...

India

Rohit Sharma – 9/10

Played one of the more mature innings of his career. Despite the loss of wickets around him, he held fort and forged a match-altering partnership with Suresh Raina. He picked up his pace at the right time and made up for the slow start. The innings had Rohit’s stamp of class on it – cover drives, flicks and frequent pulls. It was a sheer joy to see Rohit in full flow. But things only get tougher from here on.

Shikhar Dhawan – 7/10

Seemed well settled when he got dismissed. Helped in establishing a solid opening stand for India with his stubborn batting. Some of his shots through the off-side were remarkable. Later in the day, he held on to a well judged catch near the boundary ropes, using his presence of mind to full effect.

Virat Kohli – 2/10

Played a poor shot to get out. The widish delivery from Rubel Hossain deserved to be left alone. Kohli’s presence in the field was oddly missed today, even though he was physically present.

Ajinkya Rahane – 5/10

Fell to the pressure of having someone like Rohit Sharma in full flow, at the other end. He manufactured a shot, and got dismissed trying to accelerate. Hopefully, Rahane will make amends in the semi-final at Sydney.

Suresh Raina – 8/10

Played yet another defining innings that was overshadowed by the centurion of the game. Raina took the attack to the opposition and bludgeoned the Bangladeshi bowling. His initial attack in the batting powerplay eventually elevated India to a better score.

MS Dhoni – 7/10

Didn’t make too many runs with the bat, but his contributions on the field were invaluable. Like usual, he made all the correct calls, and executed plans superbly. He had four catches to his name, with one of those catches being the result of a brilliant diving effort to the left.

Ravindra Jadeja – 8/10

Showed glimpses of what havoc he can cause with the bat in hand. While bowling, he got done with his overs quickly, remained economical for most parts of his spell and picked up two wickets in the process. Also, don’t forget the run-out he executed. Could anyone ask for anything more?

Ravichandran Ashwin – 7/10

Went wicketless, but bowled in the right channel all throughout. Was supremely economical and good on the field.

Mohammed Shami – 7/10

Had an expensive first spell, but more than made up for it with a great follow up spell. Took the wickets of the dangerous looking Soumya Sarkar, and the in-form Mahmadullah.

Umesh Yadav – 8/10

Pick of the bowlers today. Bowled with menacing pace and gave nothing away in the process. Bagged 4 wickets and was solely responsible for cleaning up the tail towards the end of the Bangladeshi innings.

Mohit Sharma – 7/10

Had an indifferent day by his standards. Barring a solitary wicket and some tight overs, there’s not much he could boast about today.

Bangladesh players celebrating after the wicket of Rahane

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal – 5/10

A lot was expected from him, considering that he is one of the senior members in the side. Failed to convert a decent start, especially when he was needed to bat longer.

Imrul Kayes – 3/10

Fielded poorly and batted miserably. His wicket was a result of him backing up quite a bit. Didn’t contribute in any way to Bangladesh’s cause.

Soumya Sarkar – 6/10

Played some attractive shots during his 43-ball stay. There were some great shots over the top of the keeper’s head that makes this boy, one to look out for.

Mahmudullah – 5/10

Was looking well settled for most part of his innings. It eventually took a great catch from Shikhar Dhawan to dismiss him. Mahmudullah has been Bangladesh’s star in this World Cup.

Shakib Al Hasan – 4/10

The T20 star and the chief destroyer of Indian dreams in 2007, was of no use to his team today. With the ball in hand, he was expensive towards the end and with the bat, he struggled for more than thirty minutes before giving his wicket away.

Mushfiqur Rahim – 6/10

Took a couple of catches, and scored 27 runs in a lost cause. By the time he settled in, the match was long gone from Bangladesh’s grasp.

Sabbir Rahman – 6/10

One of the better Bangladeshi batsman on display today. Was the last wicket to fall, gave good resistance all throughout his stay in the middle.

Nasir Hossain – 7/10

Hossain was extremely economical with the ball, and while batting, he stitched a half-century partnership with Rahman. Looks one of the more promising players in the Bangladesh setup.

Mashrafe Mortaza – 1/10

Mortaza was extremely ordinary while bowling and captaining. Some of his field placements were borderline absurd, and some strategies, suicidal. To top all of that, he got into heated arguments with his team mates on the field, making all of it look rather ugly.

Rubel Hossain – 3/10

If only Rubel had been brought on earlier, he could have caused serious damage to the Indian batting line-up. He was excellent in his first spell, but lost the plot towards the end of the Indian innings. Got too busy in sending people off and distracting himself from his primary task.

Taskin Ahmed – 5/10

The young pacer picked up three wickets, but went for a plenty. There were moments when he got a mouthful from his captain. Such matches will only help him grow as a cricketer.