India vs Sri Lanka Test series – Player ratings for India 

Visitors India outplayed the hosts Sri Lanka in all the departments to register their first overseas whitewash 3-. Under Virat Kohli, India won their eighth consecutive series win, which is only one behind Ricky Ponting’s record nine series wins on a trot.

Both India’s batting and bowling department was at its best. Here’s rating the Indian players on the basis of their performances in all the three Tests.

KL Rahul – 7/10

Coming back from an injury, KL Rahul had a dream Test series in Sri Lanka. He scored a splendid half century in Colombo, followed by 85 in Pallekele, which he scored of 135 balls. During the series, he also became the first Indian batsman to score seven consecutive half centuries. The 24-year-old, who plays for Karnataka in the domestic circuit, has been named in the ODI squad too.

Shikhar Dhawan – 9/10

With this series, Shikhar Dhawan proved that he no longer remains just a limited-overs specialist. He scored a magnificent 190 in the first innings of the opening Test at Galle, followed by another century, 119, in the dead rubber at Pallekele. The second ton was scored in only 123 balls, during which he smashed 17 boundaries.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 8/10

After scoring a century each in both the first and second Test, the Test specialist’s good run deserted him in the third Test in which he fell for only 8 runs. But in the series overall, he was outstanding in his batting temperament and technique.

Virat Kohli – 6/10

The captain’s 161 runs from 4 innings do not do justice to the talent he possesses. However, his unbeaten 103 in Galle helped India cross the 600-run mark. In the third Test, his 42 runs were instrumental in India crossing a challenging first innings total. The biggest positive for Kohli, though, is that this was India’s eighth consecutive series win under him.

Ajinkya Rahane – 6/10

In the third and final Test, Rahane was seen struggling to find his feet with the bat, and was dismissed on only 17 runs. However, his 132 from Colombo, and 57 and 23* from Galle raise his overall ratings to 6.

Wriddhiman Saha – 6.5/10

Much like Pujara and Rahane, wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha could not get going with the ball in the final Test, but he executed five dismissals at Pallekele, and was extremely efficient behind the wickets. Besides his 67 in Colombo, the Bengal cricketer can be rated 6.5 for his excellent work with the gloves.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 8/10

Very rarely has Ashwin been rated poorly on spin-friendly pitches. The spin spearhead spun the web throughout the series, picking up 14 wickets and also scoring 132 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja 8/10

During the series, Ravindra Jadeja became the ICC no. 1 all-rounder and bowler in Tests. He picked up six wickets in Galle, and followed that up with seven wickets at Colombo. With the bat, he scored an unbeaten 70 in the second Test. The all-rounder was suspended from the dead rubber for violating ICC’s Code of Conduct.

Hardik Pandya – 8/10

What a dream series debut it was for the young all-rounder. He scored a 50 in his maiden foray in whites in Galle, followed by a century in Pallekele, while also picking up four wickets from the three games. He was particularly impressive in the dead rubber where he stabilized India’s batting line-up after a sudden collapse and took them close to 500 with his century.

Kuldeep Yadav – 8/10

In his first game of the series at Pallekele, as a replacement for Jadeja, the young chinaman bowler picked up five wickets, of which four came in the first innings. With the bat, he provided crucial 26 runs when India looked in danger of not crossing 500-run mark.

Umesh Yadav – 6/10

On a pitch where spin was supposed to dominate, Umesh Yadav took 6 wickets in the series. His fierce pace bamboozled some of the best in Sri Lanka’s batting department.

Mohammad Shami – 8/10

Shami, who picked up 10 wickets in the series was particularly impressive in the third Test, in which he dismissed both the openers in the first innings, and followed that up with another three wickets in the second innings.