India vs South Africa 2015, 5th ODI: Player Ratings

The Indian bowlers were once again outclassed by AB de Villiers

The fifth ODI to be held at Mumbai on Sunday was billed to be an epic finale to the most anticipated bilateral ODI series of the year. However, the South African batsmen made mincemeat of the Indian bowlers to effectively end the contest even before India had begun their reply.

Eventually, the visitors emerged victors by 214 runs to clinch the 5-match series by a margin of 3-2. In a shameful performance, the Indian bowlers were carted all over the stadium by the versatile and attacking Protea batsmen.

None of the bowlers were able to either stem the flow of runs or scalp wickets as the touring batsmen motored to a record total of 438. AB De Villiers smashed a 61-ball 119 to complement the centuries of Quinton De Kock and Faf Du Plessis.

Faced with a daunting total, the Indians were bogged down early on as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli gave their wickets away by attempting unrealistic shots. Even though Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane briefly offered a glimmer of hope, the lower order was razed away by an efficient South African bowling attack to complete a historic ODI series victory over India in India.

Let us take a look at the player ratings for the engrossing encounter. All players are rated through a maximum of 10 points.

South Africa

Quinton De Kock – 10

The diminutive opener continued his stellar form and piled on another century against his favourite opponents. After setting the launch-pad for his batsmen, he also latched on a difficult catch to send back the dangerous Virat Kohli.

Hashim Amla – 4.5

Even though he began aggressively with a flurry of boundaries, he was dismissed by Mohit Sharma for only 23.

Faf Du Plessis – 9.5

Anchoring the innings with steely resolve, Du Plessis top-scored with 133 before he finally succumbed to cramps. He maintained the run-rate through the middle-overs by targeting the spinners.

AB De Villiers – 9.5

Stamping his authority on a spineless bowling unit, De Villiers pulverized the Indians with a rapid century to take the match completely out of India’s grasp. MS Dhoni and his team were befuddled with his versatility and adaptability.

David Miller – 6

Coming into bat with his side already in a dominant position, Miller provided the finishing touch to the innings with a cameo.

Farhaan Behardien – 4.5

He was required to only pile on the misery on the home team, a task he performed comfortably by smashing a couple of lusty blows. However, he could not fulfill the fifth bowler's quota as he conceded quite a few runs.

Dean Elgar – N/A

Summoned into the squad as a replacement for the injured JP Duminy, Elgar's presence was not essential to the South African team.

Dale Steyn – 8.5

Bowling with pace and precision, he snared the vital wicket of Ajinkya Rahane who looked increasingly threatening.

Kagiso Rabada – 9.5

Rabada stood head and shoulders above the other bowlers in the match with bowling figures of 7-0-41-4. Often clocking more than 90 miles per hour, he shattered the top-order with his relentless control.

Kyle Abbott – 7.5

Maintaining the pressure with his accurate seam bowling, Abbott picked up the important wicket of Rohit Sharma.

Imran Tahir – 7

While he struggled against Rahane and Dhawan, Tahir came back with a strong second spell and inserted the final nail in India’s coffin by removing MS Dhoni.

India

Rohit Sharma – 2

Playing his 1st ODI at his home ground, Rohit Sharma disappointed everyone by perishing for a meagre score.

Shikhar Dhawan – 5

Completely out of form, Dhawan looked to turn things around as he formed a 100-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane. However, he was later deceived by a fullish delivery from Rabada.

Virat Kohli – 3.5

Man of the Match in the 4th ODI at Chennai, Kohli slashed at a wide delivery from Rabada to leave India tottering at 44/2.

Ajinkya Rahane – 8

Rahane’s sterling innings was the only bright spot from a completely forgettable encounter for India. Playing with authority and intent, he was efficient against both pace and spin. After obliterating the visitors with his 58-ball 87, he was dismissed while trying to counter the required run-rate.

Suresh Raina – 1

Never looking comfortable, Raina was bowled in a bizarre manner when he tried to negate Rabada's fiery pace.

MS Dhoni – 4.5

Dhoni was left scratching his ageing beard for answers as all of his bowlers were dispatched to every part of the stadium. When he arrived at the crease with a bat in hand, the match was long gone.

Axar Patel – 2

Axar’s bowling was largely inconsistent as he struggled to curtail the South African batsmen who were on a rampage.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 1

Battered without mercy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with the 2nd most expensive figures for any bowler in an ODI.

Mohit Sharma – 1.5

Despite getting the early breakthrough of Hashim Amla, Mohit was also slaughtered by the touring batsmen.

Harbhajan Singh – 2.5

Harbhajan started with promise as he attempted to flight the ball. However, he was tormented by AB de Villiers towards the final overs.

Amit Mishra – 2

Perhaps, Mishra was the biggest disappointment for the Indian think-tank. He looked clueless as he was carted around by the top-order batsmen. Bereft of ideas, the leg-spinner bowled without any venom or guile.