India vs New Zealand 5th ODI - Player ratings

After the crushing defeat they suffered at the hands of Williamson’s men, the Indians travelled to Hamilton, hoping to end the series on a positive note. New Zealand must have been hoping to sustain some momentum going into the T20 series.

The stand-in captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first on a tough pitch for the batsmen. The Indian batting order collapsed in a stunning manner as Matt Henry and Trent Boult wreaked havoc with the new ball.

MS Dhoni also disappointed his fans by getting out for a single run and India were in deep trouble. Then, Ambati Rayudu combined with Vijay Shankar and bailed India out of a tough situation.

They put on a 98-run stand before Shankar was run out after some horrendous decision-making from Rayudu. Rayudu got to a half-century and fell ten runs short of a century. Pandya’s brilliant hitting in the death-overs took India to a respectable score of 252. New Zealand never really got going in the chase after losing Nicholls early.

Kane Williamson threatened to take the match out of India’s grip but Jadhav dismissed him. Whenever the Blackcaps started accelerating, Indian bowlers made a breakthrough and finally, New Zealand fell short of the mark by 35 runs.

Here are the player ratings for the match.

India

Dhoni celebrates after running out Jimmy Neesham

1. Shikhar Dhawan – 2/10

Dhawan played a couple of good knocks in the series but couldn't make it count in the finals. The Blackcaps had a short-ball plan for him and he fell into the trap by playing a loose shot.

2. Rohit Sharma – 5/10

As a captain, he was outstanding with his field placements and bowling changes but Henry got the better of him with a fast inswinger.

3. Shubman Gill – 3/10

The youngster struggled against some world-class bowling and finally got out while trying to play a checked drive through the cover region.

4. Ambati Rayudu – 9/10

At one point, India were 18/4 and would have lost the match if not for some gritty display of batting from Rayudu.

5. MS Dhoni – 5/10

Boult got him out cheaply with an unplayable inswinger but he was very effective behind the stumps as he guided Chahal and Jadhav while running out Jimmy Neesham with a sharp throw.

6. Vijay Shankar – 7/10

He continues to impress as a batsman and this time showed some temperament while putting on a big partnership with Rayudu.

7. Kedar Jadhav – 8/10

Looked set for a big score before dragging the ball back onto his stumps and picked up the crucial wicket of Williamson with the ball.

8. Hardik Pandya – 9/10

Played a destructive cameo as he hit Astle for a hattrick of sixes and trapped Ross Taylor in front of the stumps in his 1st over itself.

9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 5/10

A mediocre outing for him with the ball as the NZ top order dealt him with ease.

10. Mohammed Shami – 7.5/10

He was once again India’s strike weapon and dismissed both the New Zealand openers.

11. Yuzvendra Chahal – 8/10

Another impressive outing for the youngster as the New Zealand batsmen struggled to read his variations.

New Zealand

Williamson threw his wicket away at a crucial time.

1. Henry Nicholls – 2/10

Played a rash shot as he tried to pull without any feet movement and got dismissed.

2. Colin Munro – 4/10

His miserable series came to an end as he played away from the body and the inside edge castled the stumps.

3. Kane Williamson – 5/10

Started his innings very slowly and then played some breathtaking strokes. He tried to pull Jadhav and holed out to deep midwicket.

4. Ross Taylor – 2/10

Played all around an inswinger from Hardik Pandya and was trapped LBW.

5. Tom Latham – 6/10

Looked well settled at the crease before Chahal bowled a beautiful googly to dismiss him.

6. James Neesham – 7/10

Almost played a match-winning knock but he must be very disappointed by the manner in which he got out.

7. Colin de Grandhomme – 5/10

He was economical with the ball but struggled to pick Chahal before eventually getting dismissed by him.

8. Mitchell Santner – 6/10

Strangely, he was underutilized as a bowler and played a decent knock with the bat.

9. Todd Astle – 4/10

Pandya pummelled him for three consecutive sixes in an over which damaged his bowling figures.

10. Matt Henry – 9/10

He was breathing fire with the new ball in his hand and finished with 4 wickets to his name.

11. Trent Boult – 8.5/10

Another swing bowling masterclass from Boult as he looked unplayable in his spell with the new ball.