India England ODI Series - Player Ratings

Before the India England ODI series, there was a lot of talk of the relevance of such a series in the long run, especially by some English journalists. They said even if England were to lose this series, it would mean nothing to their long term prospects as a One Day team. The reason they cited was that the 2015 World Cup is going to be played in Australia and New Zealand – in conditions which are vastly different from the ones in India. But can we just say that a series is meaningless just because it can’t stand as an ideal preparation for a World Cup or a Champions Trophy? If we start weighing One Day internationals by this standard, then the much hailed ‘Desert Stoom’ by Sachin Tendulkar had very little context, because it was played in Sharjah, where no World Cup would be held ever. Similarly, many of the memorable performances in One Day International cricket were in tournaments which had no meaning if we go by this yardstick. So if we give the due respect to this series played between the two top ranked teams in the format, it would not be a futile exercise to rate the players of both the teams to find out who made an impression and who didn’t.

India

Time running out for Gambhir?

Gautam Gambhir – I had to open the review with Gambhir, since no matter what, we will always open with Gambhir. He started off with a fifty at Rajkot but then faded away as he does so often. He had a chance to stay till the end and finish off the game in a no-pressure situation at Ranchi, but got out after reaching 33. His place in the side looks in more trouble. If he can’t score runs, then he adds no real value to the team because he is not an electric fielder either.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs – 127, Average – 25.40Rating - 3

Ajinkya Rahane – It sounds a bit harsh, but he is one of those players who are made to look like world beaters when they are on the bench. What is most annoying about Rahane is the way he gets out; his dismissals have the shades of Robin Uthappa’s dismissals, another failed talented batsman. He looks himself look silly by spooning to mid off or being beaten by a long way and getting bowled. Has not showed any promise as a future opener in this format.Stats – Innings – 3, Runs – 51, Average – 17.00Rating - 1

Rohit Sharma – Nobody knew why he was even in the squad for this series except the selectors. Make no mistake, Rohit Sharma is a very good player. His first class average is above 60 but he is yet to play a Test match; his List A average is 34.22; his ODI average is 30.8 from 82 matches and he is still in the ODI team. To be fair to him, he made the most of his game time in the first chance he had in the series at Mohali and made a match winning contribution of 83.Stats – Innings – 2, Runs – 67, Average – 43.50Rating - 7

Virat Kohli – Virat Kohli and ‘Batting Form’ looked like inseparable brothers in the early parts of 2012. But not now. After a mediocre Test series against England and a poor ODI series against Pakistan, he was expected to return to his best form in this 5 match series. Except for a Man of the Match winning 77 at Ranchi and a hard working 37 at Kochi, no big contributions in the series.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs – 155, Average – 38.75Rating - 5

Yuvraj Singh – Yuvraj Singh hasn’t made blockbuster comeback to cricket after he defeated cancer. That much is clear. His 61 at Rajkot in the first match was every bit of a classic Yuvraj counter attacking innings. Looked good in Kochi too, but got out to a bad decision. He hasn’t bowled much either. At the end of the day, it has to be said that he looked like a passenger in the team.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs – 126, Average – 25.20Rating - 4

Is Raina finally coming to the fore?

Suresh Raina – There are people saying that Raina has become more consistent now. But another way of looking at is that because of the consistent failure of the top order, he is getting more time to build an innings. Looked at ease in all the games and had a free flowing tempo to all his innings. He could have finished off an excellent series with a hundred in the last match but wasted an opportunity and got out at 83. A reliable ODI batsman for India now and was deservedly named the Man of the Series.Stats – Innings – 4, Runs – 277, Average – 92.33, Wickets – 2Rating - 9

M S Dhoni – Dhoni, the ODI batsman, is so assured that it is a surprise to see him not being around in the last overs of an Indian innings. In Kochi, he gave a masterclass of his wait and hit method of pacing an ODI innings coming in at a tricky situation during the middle overs. Failed in the last two matches, which was an aberration considering his form in ODIs in the last year or so. Kept wickets very well, stood up to pace bowlers and made it difficult for the English batsmen to use their feet. Took some nice catches too. Nothing new in his methods as a captain, as nothing new was needed also.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs – 148, Average – 37.00Rating - 7

Ravindra Jadeja – This, in many ways, can be termed as a defining series in Jadeja’s career. This series may not have improved Jadeja as a player drastically, but it really helped to change the perception that the cricket fans had about Jadeja to a positive one. He was consistent with the ball throughout the series with a miserly economy rate and regular wickets. Played two critical knocks in Kochi and Dharamsala.Stats – Innings – 4, Runs – 128, Average – 64.00, Wickets – 9, Bowl.Average – 15.77Rating - 9

Ravichandran Ashwin – Not the kind of performance expected from your leading spinner. Posed no real threat to the English batsmen and was clearly out bowled by the lesser experienced James Tredwell. Took three lower order wickets in the second match but was taken for runs. His good spell was in the third match, where he took 2 for 37.Stats – Wickets – 7, Bowl.Average – 35.71Rating – 5

Bhuvaneswar Kumar - After a very good debut series against Pakistan, this was a sort of test for this young man to show that he is not a one time fluke. And it must be said that he really justified his case. He can swing the new ball both ways with a lot of control and hardly gives runs away at the start of the innings. Went for some runs in the first match during the death overs. Since then, Dhoni used him very cleverly and used up his overs when the ball was relatively new in all the remaining matches. He had a very good series, but would have liked to pick up some more wickets.Stats – Wickets – 4, Bowl.Average – 49.00Rating – 6

Ishant Sharma – There is something about Ishant Sharma these days that tells you that he is definitely trying to be a better bowler. For a very long time, he was a very predictable bowler, bowling back of a length balls at a convenient pace for the batsmen. But now, he is trying to vary his lengths, and he is bending his back a bit more and bowling that extra yard quicker. Had two forgettable spells in the first two matches and then came back strongly in the next three. His performance is a definitely a positive for India looking forward.Stats – Wickets – 5, Bowl.Average – 45.40Rating – 6

Shami Ahmed – He was almost an anonymous member in the team. In no match was he was given the full quota of 10 overs. Bowled well at Ranchi, where every one else also had a good day. He was expensive in the last two matches and hasn’t been as promising as expected. Took only 3 wickets in the four outings he had.Stats – Wickets – 3, Bowl.Average – 50.33Rating – 4

Ashok Dinda – He was dropped from the playing eleven after an expensive bowling effort on a very good batting wicket at Rajkot. Dinda can be quite a frustrating bowler for a captain. Sometimes he can pick up two or three wickets in quick succession, and sometimes he can go for plenty of runs. But in the limited number of matches he has played in his career, he has shown an ability to get wickets at the death. Should be given one more chance in the future.Stats – Wickets – 2 Bowl.Average – 26.50Rating – 6

England

Cook has proved himself to be one of the most versatile batsman

Alistair Cook – Any one who sees Alistair Cook bats these days will agree that he is one of the best batsmen in the world today. He has definitely improved his batting in ODIs, and now can play the expansive strokes when needed. He was at the receiving end of some tough calls from the umpires. Looked good in all the matches and he has started to score at a fair rate in this format now.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs- 207, Average – 41.40Rating – 7

Ian Bell – Ian Bell is the second highest run scorer in the series. But almost all his runs were scored in two matches. So it is clear that he was not consistently getting runs. He has a habit of getting stuck and not score much for a while, and that can create a lot of pressure on the whole team. But made a match winning hundred in the last match, and looks set to hold on to that opener’s slot for a while now.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs- 234, Average – 58.50Rating – 8

Kevin Pietersen – By his standards, Pietersen had a subdued series. Even though he batted at number 3, he failed to get a really big score. In the second match, he looked like taking the game away from the Indians for a while. Played a cautious knock of 76 in the fourth match at Mohali. Still, after Cook, his wicket is the one the opposition wants most dearly.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs- 187 Average – 37.00Rating – 7

Joe Root – England’s find of the trip. Root looks like a fine young batsman who can bat in all formats. On more than one occasion, England missed the trick by demoting him down the order. Whenever he came out to bat, he looked in total control and paced all his innings perfectly. At Mohali, scored a quick 57 and helped England reach a reasonable total.Stats – Innings – 4, Runs- 163, Average – 54.33Rating – 8

Eoin Morgan – Eoin Morgan had a great reputation as a limited overs batsman coming to this series. But his performance in this series leaves a few questions to answer. Except for two scores in the 40′s, nothing much to write home about his contributions in the series. He looks like a player who prefers to come into bat when the death overs are on so he could go for his shots without looking to consolidate.Stats – Innings – 5, Runs- 94, Average – 23.50Rating – 3

Samit Patel – England’s subcontinent specialist. He played a match-changing innings in the first match where his 20 ball 44 helped to swing the momentum England’s way. But failed in other matches. No bowling spell of any consequence either.Stats – Innings – 4, Runs- 75, Average – 37.50, Wickets – 1, Bowl.Average – 131.00Rating – 4

Craig Kieswetter – For a long time, England thought that Kieswetter could be their ideal choice as a limited overs wicket keeper batsman. But he showed no improvements in his game. A forgettable series for him in which he was dropped after the first three games.Stats – Innings – 3, Runs- 42, Average – 21.00Rating – 2

Jos Butler – Played only two games and hasn’t got much time in the middle. As a keeper, looks quite comfortable, and England can certainly give him a longer run to find out exactly how good he is.Stats – Innings – 1, Runs- 14, Average – 14.00Rating – 4

Tim Bresnan – As the series was coming to a close, Bresnan’s bowling got progressively better. He got 4 wickets in the last match, which were crucial in not allowing India to finish off their innings in a flurry. His economy rate was a bit on the higher side through out the series.Stats – Wickets – 7, Bowl.Average – 28.85Rating – 7

Tredwell was the best bowler of the series

James Tredwell – Looked the best bowler in the series. Every time he came on to bowl, he managed to get a wicket. The left-handers in the Indian team had a torrid time against him. No batsman was able to get on top of him. It will be a pity if he has to sit out when Graeme Swann comes back into the team.Stats – Wickets – 11, Bowl.Average – 18.18Rating – 9

Steven Finn – If only England had one more pace bowler of his quality, they would have troubled India big time. He was consistently bowling near the 140 km mark and was getting good bounce. He looks like a bowler who could lead an attack in all conditions.Stats – Wickets – 7, Bowl.Average – 32.85Rating – 7

Jade Dernbach – Some people are suggesting that Dernbach may have played his last game for England and you can’t fault them. He had a horror series. An absolute shocker. He was trying variations on every ball and that was not helping. He was lucky to get a fourth after his expensive spells in the first three matches. His economy rate was 7.34, which is unacceptable for a front line bowler.Stats – Wickets – 5, Bowl.Average – 49.20Rating – 2

Chris Woakes – Played only two matches. Got 2 wickets. Not much to gather from that.Stats – Wickets – 2, Bowl.Average – 52.50Rating – 5