England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: Player Ratings

India were 0-2 and the way they’ve responded has been remarkable. The Virat Kohli-led side has come storming back and now the series is nicely poised with India 1-2 behind and two Test matches to go.

After being put into bat by Joe Root, India made 329, thanks to a very good 97 from Kohli and an equally good 81 from Ajinkya Rahane. Hardik Pandya then unleashed the beast inside him as he ran through the England batting line-up to register a maiden fifer. India then piled on the misery as Kohli continued his imperious form and struck his second ton of the series.

Chasing a daunting 521 in the fourth innings, England crumbled and were reduced to 62/4 before a fighting 169-run stand between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes defied India. Buttler struck a superb ton but once he was dismissed, England collapsed. Adil Rashid and Stuart Broad did have some fun and swung their bats before Bumrah completed a well-deserved fifer.

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India

Shikhar Dhawan – 6.5/10

This was India’s third opening pair and after he was dropped for the second Test, Shikhar Dhawan replaced the out-of-form Murali Vijay in this Test and he did quite well. He made 35 and 44 in the two innings and looked good. He helped India get off to good starts.

KL Rahul – 6.5/10

Along with Dhawan, it was KL Rahul who provided some sort of solidity at the top. He might not have got big scores but like Dhawan, he blunted out the England new-ball bowlers. He scored 23 and 35 in the first and second innings respectively. He was also excellent in the slips. He caught almost everything that came his way. In fact, he took 7 catches (all at second slip) in the two innings.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 7/10

Pujara finally seemed to be back in form. He got out hooking in the final over before lunch (on Day 1) in the first innings. But he played well in the second innings as he made 72 and spent quite some time in the middle. He shared a good partnership (113 runs) with Kohli in the second innings.

Virat Kohli – 10/10

Kohli continued his stupendous form as he amassed 200 runs in two innings. He made 97 and missed out on a century by a whisker. But he made amends in the second innings as he scored a majestic 103. He led the team very well as well. He took the right calls, made some good bowling changes and more importantly, he finally got the team selection right.

Ajinkya Rahane – 7.5/10

Like Pujara, Rahane also got some crucial runs. He made an excellent 81 in the first innings where along with Kohli, he helped India recover from 82/3. He also made a patient 94-ball 29 in the second innings. India will be happy that their vice-captain is finally back amongst the runs.

Hardik Pandya – 9/10

This is one Test match Hardik Pandya will not forget in a long time. He did almost everything right. He might have failed with the bat in the first innings, but apart from that, he has basically bossed the game. He got a fifer in the first innings, running through the England batting line-up. He then got a quick fifty in the second innings before finishing off the game with a good spell in the second innings where he got the wicket of Ben Stokes.

Rishabh Pant – 6.5/10

On debut, Pant smashed his second ball in Test cricket for a six and announced his arrival. However, he promised a lot but he just scored 24 in the first innings while he returned with a score of just 1. However, he was quite good behind the stumps. He took some very good catches and on the whole, he had a decent debut.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 4/10

Ashwin didn’t have a big impact on the game. He scored 14 in the first innings and was injured while India took the field in the first innings. He didn’t bowl in the first innings while he did bowl 19 overs in the second innings, he was hindered with his hip injury and wasn’t 100%.

Mohammed Shami – 6/10

Shami has this tendency of blowing hot and cold at different times. This Test match was no different. He wasn’t up to the mark in the first innings while he bowled quite well in the second. He finished the Test match with just 2 wickets to his name.

Ishant Sharma – 7/10

The scorecard will never give you an indication of how well Ishant Sharma has bowled in this game. He’s troubled the England batting almost every time he came onto bowl. He beat the bat on numerous occasions but was unlucky to finish with just 4 wickets in this Test.

Jasprit Bumrah – 9/10

This was Bumrah’s first game in almost two months. But he looked in excellent shape and he produced a brilliant performance. In the first innings, he got two key wickets before he took an excellent fifer in the second innings.

England

Alastair Cook – 2.5/10

Cook has been really disappointing this series. His poor form continued in this Test match. He got out both times nicking (edging) and on both occasions, Ishant Sharma was the bowler. Cook got scores of 29 and 17 in the two innings and despite occupying the crease for some time, he never looked settled.

Keaton Jennings – 2/10

Jennings hasn’t inspired much confidence either. He scored just 33 runs in the two innings combined. He was troubled throughout his stay at the crease (in both innings) and was out poking outside the off-stump in both innings.

Joe Root – 2/10

In the first Test, Joe Root reached a landmark of having scored a fifty in each of his 12 Tests against India. However, in the last two Tests, India have found a way to get through the England captain. He could only muster 29 runs in the Test and not to forget, he made a debatable call to bowl first after winning the toss.

Jonny Bairstow – 2.5/10

Jonny Bairstow didn’t have the best of games. After a very good 93 at Lord’s, he fell for just 15 in the first innings before he was injured while keeping in the second essay. He suffered a fracture on his left middle finger and didn’t return take the field for the rest of the innings. He walked out to bat at No. 7 but was out first ball.

Ben Stokes – 6.5/10

Stokes walked right back into the team after his trial in the court. He looked rusty in the first innings as he leaked runs. But he slowly got into the groove and produced a very good spell on the third morning. After a wicketless first innings, he got a couple in the second. He failed with the bat in the first essay but fought well and returned with a gritty 62 in the second.

Jos Buttler – 9 /10

Jos Buttler was by far the best England batsman in this Test match. In both innings he top-scored. In the first innings, he scored a quick 39 when wickets fell around him. In the second essay, he batted beautifully and registered his maiden Test hundred (106). He looked at ease when most England batsmen struggled.

Chris Woakes – 4/10

After the Man of the Match performance at Lord’s, Chris Woakes will not be too happy with his performance. In the first innings, he was the one who took the first three Indian wickets. But after that, he’s not had any impact as he took just one wicket in the second innings. He also failed with the bat as he scored just 12 runs in the game.

Adil Rashid – 5/10

Adil Rashid hasn’t quite justified his selection in the Test team. After not being involved in any department in the second Test, Rashid got the all-important wicket of Virat Kohli in the first innings before he returned with figures of 3/101 in the second innings. He was not consistent enough and the Indian batsmen kept scoring fluently against him. He did have some fun and frustrated India with the bat in the second innings.

Stuart Broad – 4/10

Broad was good in the first innings in this Test match. He bowled a very good spell on the second morning when he ran through the Indian lower-order along with his new-ball partner James Anderson. He took 3 wickets in the first innings but went wicketless in the second essay.

James Anderson – 6/10

Anderson was England best bowler on display. However, he was a touch unlucky only to return with 4 wickets in the Test match. In fact, a couple of catches also went down as he was a constant threat to the Indian batsmen. He took 3/64 and 1/55 in this game.

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