England vs India 2018: Ranking India's top 5 players from the T20I series

India pulled off an epic T20I series win against the in-form England side, winning the 3rd match by 7 wickets (8 July 2018). Though the Indian team were bogged down by England's resurgence in the 2nd T20I, they valiantly fought in the series-decider with Pandya sealing it off in style with a huge six.

Batting first on a belter of a pitch, England had a thunderous start reaching the 100-run mark within 9 overs. However, a clinical bowling effort from Pandya (4-0-38-4) restricted England to 198. The daunting task of chasing 199 was pulverized by Rohit Sharma with a record 3rd T20I ton.

With vital contributions from Kohli and Pandya, the Indian team won the series 2-1 with 8 balls to spare. Virat Kohli and his men would not have expected a better start than this to the gruelling tour of England, winning their 6th consecutive T20I series.

At the post-match presentation, Virat Kohli said- "I think the comeback from the bowlers was outstanding, we thought they would get 225-230. The character they showed is something we are really proud of. As captain, very happy to see that."

"We will continue to try different things in the batting order and the bowlers. The guys are taking this as an opportunity. Great to start with a series win."

With the shortest format being done and dusted, its time for us to rank and rate the top 5 Indian players in the tournament after a well-fought series win.

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#5 Kuldeep Yadav (8/10)

India's magical Chinaman

Kuldeep Yadav was the talk of the town after his breath-taking spell in the 1st T20I against England. After decimating the Australians, England were in blistering form coming into the T20I series. But in the 1st match, the English team struggled against the variations thrown by the slow left-arm unorthodox, losing 3 wickets in an over.

With a record of 4-0-24-5 in the match, Kuldeep became the first 1st chinaman bowler to pick up a 5-wicket haul in T20Is. Though he had an off day in the 2nd T20I, his variations will be an x-factor in the upcoming ODI series.

#4 Lokesh Rahul (8/10)

Lokesh Rahul- The next super-star of Indian cricket

After an amazing IPL season, Lokesh Rahul was promoted to bat at the top-order by the Indian team management. The decision was indeed a worthy one as he notched up a flamboyant hundred in the 1st match.

Since his 199 in a Test match against England in Chennai (2016), Rahul had a barren run (without a century) in international cricket for the past 2 years. Chasing an under-par total of 160, Rahul scored his 2nd T20I hundred under pressure with 10 boundaries and 5 sixes.

The scintillating knock along with Kuldeep's spell helped India clinch the 1st match against England. Although Rahul failed to capitalize on the red-hot form in the next two matches, getting out cheaply.

#3 Hardik Pandya (8.5/10)

The rise of Hardik Pandya into a bowling allrounder.

After the retirement of Kapil Dev, whenever the Indian team toured England, they lacked a proper seam-bowling all-rounder. After the stellar performance of Hardik Pandya in the T20I series, the Indian team is done with the 20-year wait (since the retirement of Kapil).

In IPL 2018, Hardik Pandya showed tremendous improvement in his bowling skills while playing for the Mumbai Indians. Continuing his good run of form, Pandya delivered a match-winning spell with 4 wickets in the series-decider.

He also cherished his role as a finisher in the batting line-up with his explosive batting nature. Coming in after the loss of captain's wicket, Pandya scored 33 runs off just 14 at a staggering strike rate of 236.

#2 Virat Kohli (8.5/10)

Virat Kohli- captain fearless to captain selfless

In the recently concluded series, we witnessed Virat Kohli performing more as a captain than a champion batsman. To capitalize on Rahul's form, Virat selflessly decided to sacrifice his no.3 spot to the lad.

Virat's captaincy was tested when the England team were off to a flyer in the 3rd match, reaching the 100-run mark within 9 overs. But in the next 11 overs, he smartly rotated his bowling options to restrict England to a par score of 198.

Though Virat failed to score a half-century in the tour, he notched up 110 runs at a healthy average of 55, standing 5th in the list of most runs in the series.

#1 Rohit Sharma (9/10)

A staggering 3rd T20I ton to guide India to an epic series win

Rohit Sharma had his worst season as a batsman in IPL 2018. Coming into the tour with a poor run of form, the 61-ball 97 scored against Ireland helped him gather his confidence back before the England series.

Though Rohit failed to capitalize on the starts in the first 2 matches, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the series-decider. Chasing a mighty total of 199 on a batting paradise, Rohit scored an effortless hundred in 56 balls with 11 boundaries and 5 sixes.

His record 3rd T20I ton helped him to clinch the Man of the Series award with an accumulated total of 137 runs at an average of 68.5 in the tour.