5 most bankable players from the third Test between India and New Zealand

India’s three-match Test series against New Zealand came to a close earlier this week, with the hosts completing their maiden whitewash over the Kiwis. Virat Kohli's men beat the visitors by a margin of 321 runs in the final Test at Indore, to put an exclamation mark to their performances in the first two matches.

The Indore game saw India battle back from a tricky position in the first innings thanks to the partnership between Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. A mammoth total of 557 was put up on the board, allowing the Indian bowlers to exert plenty of pressure on the Kiwi line-up.

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up six wickets in the first innings as the home side dismissed the Black Caps for 299. The second innings saw India declare after posting a quick-fire total of 216, led by Cheteshwar Pujara's 101 and Gautam Gambhir's 50.

Set a total of 475 to win, the visitors capitulated in their second innings, getting dismissed for a paltry score of 153. Ashwin ran riot again, picking up seven wickets for a staggering match total of 13.

Here's a look at the five most stellar individual performances - including the Jana Bankable Player of the Match, Virat Kohli.

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#5 Rohit Sharma

Batting

1st innings - 51*(63)

2nd innings - DNB

The right-hander became the first batsman in the series to notch up a 50+ score in each of the three Test matches, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to say this could be a career-turning series for him.

Questions were raised over his place in the Test team prior to the start of the series, but he proved his critics wrong with consistent showings throughout.

His performance in the third Test was exactly suited to the team's needs as he scored a quick-fire unbeaten 51, helping the team go beyond the 500-run mark. The pace of Rohit's innings enabled Kohli to declare with plenty of time left on day two, thus giving the Indian bowlers a go at the New Zealand batsmen late in the evening.

#4 Cheteshwar Pujara

Batting

1st innings - 41 (108)

2nd innings - 101*(148)

Known for his ability to dig in and build long innings, the man from Saurashtra played two completely contrasting knocks in the third Test against New Zealand. Coming in to bat after the fall of Murali Vijay's wicket early on the first day, Pujara dropped anchor. He played a solid knock from one end which allowed the likes of Gambhir and Kohli to play their natural attacking game.

India’s most consistent batsman in the series, Pujara batted with great flair in the second innings of the match. Aggression is not a trait that is generally associated with him, but he proved his critics wrong with some attacking stroke-play.

The 28-year-old made a brisk century in the second innings when India were looking for some quick runs, and showed everyone that he can bat at any pace that the situation demands.

#3 Ajinkya Rahane

Batting

1st innings - 188 (381)

2nd innings - 23* (20)

The ever-dependable Ajinkya Rahane had a big role to play in India's clean sweep of the Kiwis. The 28-year-old stroked a wonderful 188 in the first innings of the game, putting on a mammoth 365-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Kohli which effectively put New Zealand out of the contest.

It was a knock that began slowly, but gained momentum as the overs went by. Once he had settled in, Rahane began to open up, displaying a good range of shots on the second day. The innings of 188 was a career-high for the Maharashtrian, and he showed how far he has come since his debut.

He held the fort at one end, allowing the Indian captain to play with freedom. After an initial period of struggle against the short ball, Rahane's compact defence and flamboyant stroke-play came to the fore and he made the start count, piling on the runs.

#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Bowling

1st innings - 6/81

2nd innings - 7/59

India’s premier off-spinner had his most successful outing of the series, picking up a 13-wicket haul to take his tally for the three matches to 27.

Ashwin led the Indian bowling attack admirably, and played a major role in his team’s 3-0 whitewash over the Black Caps. He contributed with both the ball and the bat throughout the course of the series, re-asserting his indispensable value to the team.

Ashwin's ability to extract appreciable turn and bounce kept the Kiwi batsmen guessing all through the third Test, and his variations had them totally flummoxed.

While the first innings was more about the Indians wearing the visitors down with spin, the second innings saw the home side go all out for the win. They attacked from the outset, with Ashwin leading the charge.

#1 Virat Kohli

Batting

1st innings - 211 (366)

2nd innings - 17 (28)

After enduring a difficult time with the bat in the first two Tests, Kohli bounced back in style at Indore, scoring a magnificent 211 in the first innings to build the foundation for a massive Indian total.

The 28-year-old had gone nine innings without registering a fifty-plus score before this game. But he made up for that bad patch by scoring the second double hundred of his career, which incidentally was also his second of 2016.

He exercised a lot of discipline during his knock, almost eliminating aerial shots completely. Instead, he focused on rotating the strike for vast stretches, putting away the bad balls when they came by.

Kohli was rightfully named the Jana Bankable Player of the Match for his stellar knock under pressure.

With some top ODI players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill playing in the ODI series, it remains to be seen who shows the most consistency and stakes his claim for the Jana Bankable Player award.