Player Ratings for World T20 2014 - India

It was a different experience for MS Dhoni's men than the usual, as they lost a final of an ICC event. The best team of the tournament till they 'choked' in the final, India were ruthless in their road to the final. There were many positives for this young side which came so close to winning a global event 2nd time in a year. Here's how the individuals fared:

#13 Mohit Sharma - 6

Coming in for Mohammed Shami who was dropped after proving to be too expensive, Mohit Sharma turned out to be a failed experiment for India.

Having shown some promise against Australia, he was taken to cleaners in semifinal and final. His 7 overs in 3 matches leaked 63 runs, and he ended up performing the same level as the man he replaced.

#12 Mohammed Shami - 6

Bhuvi's opening bowling partner in the earlier stages, Shami proved to be too expensive, despite bowling well in patches. He was unfortunate to see some of the chances he created go to ground due to poor fielding, but ended up leaking far too many runs.

He was replaced with Mohit Sharma during the later stages.

#11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 7.5

The unsung hero of India's campaign, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was exceptional in patches. His spell to Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle was exemplary, which brought back memories of how he broke into the international stage, moving the ball both ways at will.

Like Mishra, he tapered off in the knockout stages, failing to keep batsmen in check. He wasn't among wickets, claiming only 4 scalps in the tournament, but ended up as the 2nd most economical bowler after Ashwin for India in the tournament.

#10 Amit Mishra - 8

Amit Mishra spun a web around batsmen with impeccable and beautifully controlled leg-spin in the group stages. He gave the ball flight and deceived batsmen in the air. His dismissals of Shehzad and Samuels will remain etched in the mind forever.

However, he lost the plot in knockout stages, sending down missiles of over 85 kmph instead of pursuing his usual mode of attack. The no-ball be bowled against South Africa now seems like a turning-point for Mishra in this tournament. Despite repeated reminders by his captain, he failed to bowl it slow. In the last 2 matches, he was mostly predictable and his discipline vanished.

It was a tournament of two halves for Mishra, and more than anything, he lacked the mental temperament at crunch stages which resulted in the drop in performance in the latter half.

#9 Ravichandran Ashwin - 9.5

Overshadowed by Mishra in the first couple of matches, Ravichandran Ashwin gained momentum as India went deep into the tournament.

He was practically being used as a leg-spinner by Dhoni, with occasional off-spinners to left-handers. His delivery to dismiss Amla in the semifinal is bound to be a YouTube classic. Even as Mishra's performance dropped in the knock-out stages, Ashwin became ever more reliable, getting his captain the wicket every single time he was brought into attack.

With 11 wickets, Ashwin finished as the highest wicket-taker for India, and joint 2nd highest overall.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja - 5

Though Jadeja's contributions were limited with short chases and a long top order - he faced just 3 deliveries in the tournament - it was his bowling which left one disappointed.

On pitches which required him bowl much slower, his skiddy pace was exploited well by batsmen who felt trapped by Ashwin and Mishra, and targeted the left-hander. He was the most expensive spinner in the side, leaking runs at a rate of 7.36 per over.

#7 MS Dhoni - 6.5

It was a shame that MS Dhoni faced only 40 deliveries in World T20. He wasn't needed in the only difficult chase India got in the tournament, and failed to get the helicopters going against an accurate Malinga in the final.

But his greatest contribution came behind the stumps, in his rotation of his bowlers, and affecting some sharp dismissals, be it reading his spinners' variations and getting the bails off, or catching some difficult chances off medium pacers, standing up to the stumps.

#6 Suresh Raina - 7.5

Throughout the tournament, Raina looked like a man on a mission. Like Yuvraj, he was making a comeback, having been dropped for Asia Cup. And though his contribution may not be talked about much, he proved to be a game changer for India.

Along with Kohli, he guided India to victory in a tricky chase vs Pakistan. Remember semifinal against South Africa? Remember Wayne Parnell's 17th over? Yuvraj had just got out and Raina walked in with India needing 40 off 24. Raina hit 16 off 6, mostly off edges, but mighty powerful blows. India just needed to complete the formalities thereafter.

Raina scored a majority of his boundaries off short-pitched deliveries in this tournament. Without a doubt, a great positive for India.

#5 Yuvraj Singh - 5

There was nothing awe-aspiring about this comeback. Yuvraj Singh scored 100 runs in 6 matches, at an average of 20, collecting them at a strike rate of 98.03. He even hit a match-saving half-century against Australia, coming in when India were in a tight spot.

But what'll remain forever in the minds of everyone is 11 off 21 in the final. Yuvraj failed to get going against a spirited death bowling by Malinga and Kulasekara, and failed to score off the spinners. His troubles were apparent throughout the tournament when he made it too close in an easy chase against Windies.

It was a muddled display of batting from the southpaw whose legend had been made on the stories of glorious aggression on the field.

#4 Virat Kohli - 10

The man of the moment, the soothing assuredness in these otherwise cruelly uncertain times, the greatest batsman of this era, Virat Kohli has pushed himself above everyone else in limited overs cricket.

He knows what's being talked about him in the papers and online portals, and he was quick to remark he's not just a 2nd-innings-batsman in post-match presentation after the final.

Man of the tournament, India's greatest weapon, and without a doubt, the star of World T20 2014; thank you Sangakkara and Jayawardene for the memories, but it's Kohli who set the stage on fire.

For the stat-minded, he scored 319 runs in 6 innings, averaging 106.33 at a strike rate of 129.14.

#3 Ajinkya Rahane - 5

Brought in as replacement for Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane fared only marginally better than the man he was replacing, and that can never be a compliment considering Dhawan's poor form.

Having got a start against Australia, he edged one behind. Against South Africa, he scored at almost run-a-ball, and never threatened to dominate the proceedings. In the crunch final, he painfully accumulated 3 off 7 before edging one onto the stumps. How much would Rahane rue this missed opportunity, remains to be seen.

#2 Rohit Sharma - 8

He's the man we all love to curse. But Rohit Sharma, despite being called 'slow', ended up scoring 200 runs in 6 matches, at a healthy strike rate of 123.45.

When the target was in the comfortable range of 130-140, he scored breezy fifties against Bangladesh and West Indies. He got starts against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, failed against Australia and made 24 off 17 in the chase of 173 vs South Africa.

Without really setting the stage on fire, Rohit was the silent contributor in this World T20 for India. Pitted against the failures of his opening partners, his knocks gain added importance.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan - 4

30 of his 31 runs in World T20 came against Pakistan, in a scratchy innings where he fought for timing. But whatever fight he showed against the arch-rivals, vanished as he faced 21 more balls to make 1 extra run in the next 2 matches.

He got a shocker of a decision against West Indies, but it's safe to say that Dhawan was a miserable failure for India in the tournament.