India vs Australia 2017: Rating the India cricketers after ODI series

Another dominant display in the ODIs saw Virat Kohli's India not only defeat Australia 4-1 but also claim the No.1 ranking in the format. For the first time, India now hold the No.1 ranking in both ODIs and Tests and although their nine-game winning streak in ODIs came to an end in the series, it is still their most impressive run in the format.

With rotation high on priority in the Indian set-up, the series saw several players get a chance in their preferred roles. Here's how each cricketer fared after the ODI series:

Openers

Rohit Sharma - 9/10

It is no secret that Rohit Sharma loves playing against Australia. This series was another example of just that as he finished the ODI series as the leading run-getter. The newly-appointed Indian vice-captain finished with 296 runs in five innings, which included a century and two half-centuries.

An integral part of India winning the series 4-1, his impressive performances also saw him break the world record for most international sixes against Australia and only Shahid Afridi now has more sixes against a single opponent in ODIs. All of that meant that he climbed up to the fifth spot in the ODI batsmen rankings and is currently on a career-best 790 rating points.

Ajinkya Rahane - 8/10

Barring the failure in the first ODI at Chennai, Ajinkya Rahane once again strengthened his ODI credentials and ensured that he is the first-choice back-up ODI opener. Four consecutive fifty-plus scores helped him finish behind only Rohit in terms of most runs for India in the ODI series.

While he was unable to convert any of the fifties into centuries, three consecutive century partnerships with Rohit Sharma helped India get off to the perfect start. Despite his incredible consistency that has seen him register 50+ scores in eight of the last 11 ODIs, he was unlucky to not be picked for the T20I squad.

Middle-order

Both Dhoni and Kohli just managed a solitary fifty each in the series

Virat Kohli - 7/10

For the first time since the 2015 ODI series against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli finished a bilateral ODI series without a century. After a duck in Chennai, the Indian captain fell agonisingly short of his 31st ODI century at Kolkata. In the three games following that, he got starts in all of them while never really kicking on and getting a fifty.

Considering his incredibly lofty standards, he will be disappointed with the fact that he didn't even cross 200 runs in a five-match ODI series that saw him average just over 35.

MS Dhoni - 6.5/10

After a stellar year so far, this series was a minor blip for MS Dhoni. While he did score a crucial fifty in Chennai that helped India take a 1-0 lead in the series, his contribution was minimal thereafter. While he did remain not out at the end of one run-chase, he failed in two other innings and didn't get a chance to bat in the final ODI.

Manish Pandey - 5/10

After impressing in the last two matches of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Manish Pandey played in every match of the series against Australia. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan for the Karnataka batsman. While the 28-year-old did see India over the line in two chases, which is arguably his primary role in the side, he also recorded two single-digit scores and had a mixed bag against Australia, against whom he had made an impact last year courtesy of his match-winning century.

All-rounders

Pandya showcased another facet of his batting in this series

Hardik Pandya - 8/10

As far as Hardik Pandya is concerned, the ODI series against Australia will probably be best remembered as the one in which he thrived when he was given additional responsibility. After a match-winning 83 in the opening ODI at Chennai, Pandya was promoted to No.4 for the third and fourth ODIs.

While he has consistently been amongst the wickets since the start of his ODI career, the 23-year-old hasn't enjoyed similar consistency with the bat until this series. The all-rounder from Baroda finished with 222 runs and was third among Indians, after the two openers in terms of most runs scored in the series. With two fifties and a 41 in the four innings that he batted, to go with his six wickets, it certainly was a complete performance from Pandya.

Kedar Jadhav - 7/10

While Pandya was the star who grabbed all the headlines, Kedar Jadhav was the silent assassin who crept in while no one was looking and did enough with both bat and ball to cement his place in the side, even if just for the upcoming series.

Scores of 40, 24, 2, 67 and 5* could be construed as his ability to get off to a start and not convert but that is also a product of where he bats in the line-up. As Dhoni's career has shown, it is not always easy to score hundreds batting at No.5 and No.6. However, it was with the ball where he continued to be incredibly economical, showing just how much of an all-round threat he is, even on non-threatening surfaces.

Spinners

Kuldeep finished as India's leading wicket-taker in the series

Kuldeep Yadav - 7/10

The list of admirers for Kuldeep Yadav is only increasing. After impressing Virat Kohli, he has earned the admiration of legendary Australian leg spinner Shane Warner, who argued that the youngster could go on to become the "best leg spinner in the world" and after finishing the series as India's leading wicket-taker (7 wickets in four matches), he is certainly on the right path.

While he was on the expensive side, the fact that batsmen still find it incredibly difficult to pick him, means that he will continue to be an asset irrespective of the kinds of pitches that India play on.

Yuzvendra Chahal - 7/10

The other half of India's wrist spin combo, Yuzvendra Chahal continued to repay the faith that captain Kohli has in him. Not only did he finish with six wickets from four matches but he picked up those wickets at an incredible economy rate of just 5.21, which is the second-best of any Indian bowler in the series (min 20 overs). The 27-year-old leg spinner continues to quietly chip away and might just have sealed his spot in the squad for the rest of the year.

Axar Patel - 6.5/10

Despite playing just the final two matches of the series, he finished with three wickets, which was enough to help him rise up to No.7 in the ODI bowlers rankings. Among Indians, Jasprit Bumrah is the only one ranked higher than him. This might have been enough to seal his spot in the next Indian ODI squad ahead of the more experienced Ravindra Jadeja.

Seamers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was in sublime form

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 8.5/10

Five wickets in four matches might not seem like eye-popping numbers but what Bhuvneshwar Kumar has managed to do, along with Jasprit Bumrah, is find a solution to a problem that has forever plagued India. The 27-year-old showcased his complete bag of tricks during the series, as he picked up wickets with the new ball, came back and did the same with the old ball as well and nailed his yorkers, ensuring that the opposition didn't get the final flourish that they were looking for.

Among all bowlers, who bowled at least 20 overs, his economy rate of 4.47 is the best. For someone who operated primarily during the first and last 10 overs, those are incredible numbers.

Jasprit Bumrah - 8/10

Jasprit Bumrah has been the death bowling solution that India have been craving. He continued to show that in the series against Australia, where he showcased exceptional variety and managed to befuddle the batsmen at every opportunity.

Five wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 5.22 are stunning numbers for a death bowler. While he would have preferred to have more wickets to his name, along with Bhuvi, the pair managed to keep the runs down at the death and made life easier for the batsmen during the run chase.

Umesh Yadav - 7.5/10

Although he played just one ODI, Umesh Yadav made an impact in that game. While he went for a few runs in Bengaluru, he ended up with four wickets, just one fewer than what Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar managed in the entire series. Considering the aforementioned pair's recent form, he was unlucky not to have played more.

Mohammed Shami - 5/10

Shami came into the ODI series with the hope of breaking Mitchell Starc's record of being the fastest to 100 ODI wickets, against Australia. But in the only game that he did play, he finished wicketless and with that any chance he had of claiming the world record soared away.