It was a match that once again brought to the fore the superhuman abilities of Indian captain Virat Kohli as he pocketed more records, becoming teh fastest cricketer to score 10,000 ODI runs. Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 157 set the tone for India’s innings but the tourists hit back in style as the duo of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer held the Windies middle order together and the former kept his cool to hit a last ball boundary and eventually tied the match. India missed its regular pace duo in the death overs but that is no excuse for not being able to defend 321 runs.

Here is the report card of all the 11 players who played for India in the match:

Rohit Sharma - Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Poor

The Indian vice-captain couldn’t carry on his good form from the first match of the series and was dismissed very early. Rohit tried to push a ball outside the off stump on the up and ended up giving an easy catch to Hetmyer at point. A minor blip for a man who has been one of Team India’s major run-getters recently.

Shikhar Dhawan - Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Poor

Shikhar Dhawan got off to a good start at Vizag as he was striking the ball early in his innings. But the southpaw’s problems against off-spin came back to haunt him as he was trapped in front by Ashley Nurse for 29. For a man who had already got a start, Dhawan had to go on and build a big partnership with Kohli but it wasn’t to be. Needs to work on his game against the spinners in white ball cricket.

Virat Kohli - Rating: 10/10, Verdict: Very Good

Virat Kohli’s ability to switch gears and pace his innings according to the match situation is what has catapulted him to the zenith of batsmanship over the past couple of years. This is exactly what was on show on Wednesday at Vizag as the Indian captain first laid the foundation and then provided the final flourish. His unbeaten knock of 157 was studded with 13 boundaries and 4 sixes.

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Ambati Rayudu - Rating: 8/10, Verdict: Good

Ambati Rayudu has got the captain’s backing for the number 4 slot and the man is delivering back. He walked into bat with the score at 40/2 and turned out to be the perfect foil for the Indian captain. During the course of the innings Rayudu often dominated the Windies bowling more than Kohli and that reduced the pressure on the Indian captain. 73 priceless runs and a partnership of 139 runs with the captain is a healthy sign for India’s middle order which will need Rayudu’s consistency.

The rising delivery is still a cause of concern for the diminutive batsman and the timing of his dismissal did peg India back. Needs to focus on playing longer innings.

MS Dhoni - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Below Average

The MSD of old cannot come back and expectations from him should be accordingly. But the former India captain continues to bat in a position that often needs him to either go slam bang from the first ball or rebuild. He needed to do the latter on Wednesday and he looked on course, before being bowled for 20.

India needs Dhoni to fire with the bat and fire quickly.

Rishabh Pant - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Below Average

In the team to provide a fillip to the innings in the later stages with his big hitting ability but couldn’t contribute much. He scored 17 runs off 13 deliveries but his over dependence on the shots towards the cow corner leaves him with less options and he was dismissed on Wednesday while looking to play the same shot again.

Needs to increase his shot-making arc to be more effective in the death overs.

Ravindra Jadeja - Rating: 3/10, Verdict: Below Average

The left-arm orthodox bowler was India’s most economical as he gave away only 49 runs in his 10 overs. Jadeja though was unable to provide any breakthroughs and never looked threatening enough to bother the duo of Hope and Hetmyer.

He also failed to fire with the bat as he managed to score 13 runs in 14 deliveries without being able to hit a single boundary.

Kuldeep Yadav - Rating: 9/10, Verdict: Very Good

Kuldeep Yadav was brought back into the playing XI and he showed just why is he so important for this team. Struggling to grip the ball in wet conditions, due to the evening dew, Yadav still managed to fox the Windies batsmen and picked up the wickets of Hemraj, Samuels and Powell. He went for a few runs but his primary job is to pick wickets and he did just that in the middle overs.

Mohammed Shami - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Shami provided India with the first breakthrough and bowled a fairly disciplined spell despite odds being stacked against quick bowlers on a pitch that provided no assistance. Shami was at his best in his last over as he gave away only 6 runs in the penultimate over to ensure India had enough runs, well almost, to defend in the final over.

Umesh Yadav - Rating: 2/10, Verdict: Very Poor

Umesh Yadav isn’t doing his white ball career any favours with his erratic bowling in this series. He has bowled the wrong length, given away full tosses and looked out of sorts in the two matches so far and also gave away a last ball boundary as a result of which the match was tied.

Might sound a bit harsh as conditions aren’t suited for pace bowling but Yadav needs to do more as a pace spearhead. Finished with 1/78 from 10 overs and was the difference between a tie and win for India.

Yuzvendra Chahal - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Yuzvendra Chahal has always done the difficult job for Virat Kohli, whenever he has been called in and he did just that in Vizag. Chahal was brought in to bowl at a time India desperately needed to break the partnership of Hope and Hetmyer, who were taking the match away from the hosts and he delivered by sending the dangerous Hetmyer back. Figures of 1/63 from 10 overs on a placid pitch aren’t bad.

First Published: Oct 25, 2018 13:50 IST