India
KL Rahul – 9.5
Rapidly settling into the side as a dependable all-formats batsman, Rahul threatened to snatch the game away from West Indies with a commendable effort. Getting into the groove right from the outset, the classy right-hander notched up his maiden T20I ton to set up a tense finish.
Rohit Sharma – 8
The onus was on the elegant Mumbaikar to replicate what the West Indies batsmen did at the top of the order. Though a couple of wickets fell fairly cheaply at the other end, Rohit kept going and produced a scintillating 28-ball 62. But, he would rue mistiming a juicy half-volley at a critical juncture of the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 8
Surprising everyone by bowling plenty of leg-spin in his first couple of overs, Ashwin looked like withering away in front of the relentless onslaught. However, he reiterated his class by conceding only twelve runs in the next two overs and brought sanity to the proceedings.
Ravindra Jadeja – 7
Acknowledging that desperate times called for desperate measures, Jadeja tried to metamorphose into a spin bowling version of Lasith Malinga and speared it in with a flat-arm action. Although he was plundered for 33 runs from his first two, the 27-year old prised out two key wickets for just six runs in his third over.
Mohammed Shami – 6.5
After a fruitful comeback from injury in the recently completed Test series, a lot was expected from Shami. However, the lopsidedness of modern-day limited-overs cricket towards bowling rendered him ineffective.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 6.5
Operating on a surface which did not offer anything to him whatsoever, Bhuvneshwar wanted to keep things simple but instead got carted to all parts. A concerted reliance on his handy yorkers might have yielded him better returns.
Jasprit Bumrah – 6.5
Having established himself already as one of India’s better limited-overs bowlers, Bumrah had to contend with a menacing batting outfit and could not do much to stem the leakage of runs.
MS Dhoni – 6
Deciding to bowl first on an unpredictable surface, Dhoni had his task cut out when the bowlers were disappearing everywhere. After forging a tidy partnership with Rahul, the experienced campaigner was however outwitted by Bravo and faltered at the final hurdle.
Virat Kohli – 4
Renowned as the contemporary master of chases, Kohli was up against a tall order and needed to bring his A-game. When it seemed like the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world had his eye in, he could not connect properly with a bouncer and gloved one to the wicket-keeper.
Ajinkya Rahane – 3
Asked to counter fire-with-fire, which was deviant from his classical method, Rahane did not seem too comfortable with the required run-rate and eventually got done in by a sensational catch from Bravo.
Stuart Binny – 0
Billed as an all-rounder, Binny bowled only one over and gave away a mind-boggling 32 runs from it. Neither possessing discernable pace nor control over his line, he was at the forefront of a never-ending horror show.
Admittedly the pitch was flat, but the seam bowler’s inability to chip in with a few decent overs may question his place in the side.
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