A spectacularly see-sawing test match and two ODIs, all of which were dominated by the home team mark this week’s cricket along with an Indian superstar’s performance at the Women’s Big Bash League. As usual, there were some brilliant performances which have been left out and some which sparkled amongst others.
Two men stood out head and shoulders from the rest – the Indian captain Virat Kohli and the Australian vice-captain David Warner. Kohli’s third double ton of the year ensured an Indian win despite losing the toss and starting 400 runs behind.
Warner slammed consecutive centuries against New Zealand to ensure Australia whitewashed NZ in the ODI series 3-0. Let’s take a look at who else makes this week’s list of top 5 cricketers along with Kohli and Warner.
#5 Harmanpreet Kaur
One of the Indian women team’s regulars, Harmanpreet, made her presence felt at the Women’s Big Bash League with an all-round Player of the Match performance. Playing for Sydney Thunder Women against Melbourne Stars Women’s team, 27-year old Harmanpreet picked up 4-27 with her medium-fast bowling ensuring her team had to chase just 117 in 20 overs.
Walking in at 77 for 2 in the 14th over, Harmanpreet slammed 30 off just 21 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to close the match and prove her worth.
#4 Jayant Yadav
Jayant Yadav just edges Murali Vijay out of this list thanks to his ton where he matched Kohli almost stroke for stroke. Yadav scored 105 in 204 balls with 15 classy boundaries. When he came to bat, India were still trailing by 36 runs. But, Yadav’s confident batting ensured Kohli played his natural game.
The mammoth eighth wicket partnership with his skipper ensured India not only took the lead but also virtually scored enough to make defeat impossible. Yadav in the process also became India’s first No.9 to score a Test century.
The 26-year-old also picked up the prized wicket of Joe Root, leg before wicket, after Root went on a rampage and knocked off 77 runs of the deficit in 112 balls taking England to 141 for 3 before their middle order collapsed yet again.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin made up for his rare failure with the bat by a stupendous performance with the ball, which is now becoming almost a given in any match played in India. Ashwin bagged two 6-wicket hauls to add to his impressive number of 5-wicket hauls in Test cricket.
In the first innings, Ashwin picked up 5 of the 7 top-order batsmen to return figures of 6-112 in 44 overs. In the second innings, Ashwin managed figures of 6-55 in 20.3 overs accounting for England’s middle and lower order.
The Tamil Nadu bowler registered the second-best match figures at Wankhede, 12-167, only next to Ian Botham’s 13-106 in 1980.
#2 David Warner
Vice-captaincy has done good to Warner as he is pushing hard to be counted amongst the best batsmen in the world along with the Fab Four. Warner scored 119 in the second ODI against New Zealand at Canberra, in just 115 balls helping Australia post a colossal score of 378 in 50 overs.
However, his innings in the third ODI at the MCG was even better as he scored 156 of the 264 runs Australia posted. Warner was run out selflessly in the last ball of the innings. The second highest individual score in the match from either side was Travis Head’s 37.
The left-handed opener’s 156 came of just 128 balls with 13 fours and 4 sixes and he proved to be the difference between the two teams, denying New Zealand a chance to win a consolation game.
#1 Virat Kohli
When Virat Kohli walked to the pitch on the 3rd day morning in the fourth Test against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India had lost Pujara on the second ball of the day and the deficit was 254 on a seemingly treacherous track. But, Kohli started with a counter-punch and that rubbed off on Murali Vijay as well.
The duo added 116 runs for the third wicket before India encountered another wobble. The Men in Blue found themselves on 307 for 6, still trailing by 93 runs. Once again, Kohli showed his class, attacking their spinners at every possible opportunity.
A 57-run partnership with Jadeja was followed by a mammoth 241-run partnership with Jayant Yadav. By the time Indian skipper was out looking for quick runs, India had batted England out of the game, resulting in a rare case of a team hurtling towards defeat despite batting first and scoring 400.
Kohli scored 235 at a strike-rate of 69 with 25 fours and a six, becoming only the fifth batsman in history to score three double tons in a calendar year in Tests.
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