India's ODI report card 2018: Rating the players

Another year of intense and exciting ODI action comes to an end on Tuesday. England are currently the World No.1 team in One Day Internationals, closely followed by India.

2018 has been a good year for India in limited-overs cricket. They started the year with a 5-1 win over South Africa away from home, and then lost 2-1 to England. They bounced back to win the Asia Cup and then defeated West Indies 3-1 at home.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been among the runs, while Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah have been among the wickets.

2018 has also witnessed some youngsters making their mark in ODIs. Players like Rishabh Pant, Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar made their ODI debut for India.

On that note, let’s take a look at how the Indian players fared in ODIs this calendar year.

(Note: Players who have played a minimum of seven ODIs in 2018 are rated here in ascending order).

MS Dhoni 4.5/10

England v India - 3rd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

The former Indian captain has had a year to forget. In 20 games, MS Dhoni scored only 275 runs at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 71.

He failed to score a single 50+ score in 2018, and struggled to stamp his authority. The 37-year-old will hope for better 2019 when India play Australia in the ODIs.

Hardik Pandya 5/10

Hardik Pandya was arguably the find for Indian cricket in 2017. However, the all-rounder was not at his best in 2018.

In 10 ODI games, Pandya scored only 68 runs at an average of 13.60 and a strike rate of 87. He was poor with the ball as well, and picked up only five wickets in 10 games at an average of 80.

Dinesh Karthik 6/10

Dinesh Karthik has had a decent year with the bat for India in One Day Internationals. The wicket-keeper batsman scored 167 runs in seven games at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 73.56.

He played well in the middle-order and took on the job of the finisher when Dhoni struggled for runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 6/10

It wasn't a great year for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In 14 games this calendar year, the 28-year-old picked up 11 wickets at an average of almost 50.

He wasn't at his best with the new ball, and struggled for consistency.

Kedar Jadhav 6/10

Kedar Jadhav has had a decent 2018. He played some good cameos with the bat and was more than useful with the ball.

In 11 games. Jadhav scored 87 runs at an average of 43.5 and a strike rate of almost 100. The 33-year-old also picked up 6 wickets at an economy rate of 4.12.

Ambati Rayudu 7/10

Australia v India: Carlton Mid ODI Tri Series - Game 5

Ambati Rayudu is finally making his mark in the international arena. He was sublime for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and continued his good form in the ODIs as well.

In 11 games this calendar year, Rayudu scored 392 runs at an average of 56 and a strike rate of 90.74.

Ravindra Jadeja 7.5/10

Bangladesh v India - ICC Champions Trophy Semi Final

Back in the team after a brief hiatus, Ravindra Jadeja has performed well for India in ODIs. In eight ODIs in 2018, Jadeja picked up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 4.59.

He also scored some useful runs with the bat, and was like lightning in the field. With his current form, the 30-year-old is expected to make the 2019 World Cup squad.

Jasprit Bumrah 8/10

India v South Africa - ICC Champions Trophy

It has been another good season for the seamer. Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best limited-overs medium pacers in world cricket at the moment, and he reinforced that in 2018.

In 13 ODI games, Bumrah picked up 22 wickets at a stunning economy rate of 3.62. He led the bowling attack well and was brilliant with both the old and new ball.

Yuzvendra Chahal 8.5/10

England v India - 1st ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

Chahal has grown into a genuine wicket-taker for India in limited-overs cricket. The leg-spinner has formed a ruthless partnership with Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs, and the pair played a key role in India's ODI success in 2018.

Chahal picked up 29 wickets in 17 games this calendar year at an economy rate of less than five per over.

Shikhar Dhawan 8.5/10

Dhawan is one of the best batsmen in One Day Internationals at the moment. The 33-year-old is the sixth highest run-getter in ODIs in the year 2018.

Dhawan scored 897 runs at an average of almost 50 and a strike rate of 102.28. He also struck three hundreds and two fifties in 2018.

Rohit Sharma 9/10

The 'Hit Man' is going from strength to strength in One Day Internationals. The second highest run-getter in ODIs for 2018, Rohit Sharma is a genuine match-winner on his day.

In 19 ODIs this calendar year, Rohit Sharma scored 1030 runs at an average of 73.57 and a strike rate of 100.09.

Kuldeep Yadav 9.5/10

Kuldeep Yadav is second only to Rashid Khan in terms of wickets in ODIs this calendar year. The 24-year-old has had a phenomenal 2018 with the ball, and picked up a lot of wickets.

In 19 ODI games, Kuldeep captured 45 wickets at an average of 17.77 and an economy rate of 4.64. He also picked up two four-wicket and one five-wicket haul in 2018.

Virat Kohli 10/10

The Indian captain is the undisputed No. 1 batsman in world cricket at the moment. In 2018, the 30-year-old scored 1202 runs in One Day Internationals from just 14 games.

He was absolutely ruthless with the bat, looking nearly unstoppable at times. Kohli made nine scores of fifty-plus in 14 innings, and his average stands at a stunning 133.55.

Kohli is also the front-runner to win the Cricketer of the Year award at the 2018 ICC Awards.