Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Poor, Rishabh Pant only face saver: Rating Indian players after IND vs NZ Test series

Talk about a series where India was supposed to win, but ended up suffering a 3-0 whitewash. It was predicted that India would rattle the Kiwis 3-0 to build on their tempo for Border Gavaskar Trophy. And why wouldn’t that be the case? Last month the Black Caps last 2-0 away at Sri Lanka. But come the IND vs NZ Test series, it was a complete episode of failure from the Indian Cricket Team.

The question arises? Who is to be blamed for this? Just the batters? The answer would be the entire team. Not just the batters have failed to perform but the collective performance of the entire team has been poor.

Rohit Sharma (2/10)

The captain of the side is the leader of the pack. But Rohit Sharma has failed to deliver in the 3-Test matches against the Kiwis. In the last 6 innings, he registered 3 single digit scores and just one fifty. 2,52,0,8,18,11 reads the scorecard for the Hitman.

While Rohit Sharma is a dependable batter, his seniority makes him someone who needs to be accountable for his performances. And with the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy looming large in the horizon, it is imperative that Rohit needs to buckle up perform according to the standards that he has set.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (7.5/10)

The only top order batter who looked dependable for India is the young southpaw. Playing his maiden Test series against the Kiwis, Yashasvi Jaiswal seemed determined to prove his worth. He tried stitching decent performances on a trot and has been the most reliable batter for India in this series.

13,35,30,77,30,5 reads his scorecard in the last 6 innings. While he had just one half century to his name, but Yashasvi hasn’t been rash in throwing away his wickets. In fact, he looked calm and composed to bring out the best that he can.

Virat Kohli (1/10)

India’s ace batter Virat Kohli has been one of the worst performers in the team. 4 single digit scores and a solitary fifty sums up his performance against the Black Caps. While hopes were high for the chase master to step up, but Kohli continues failed to perform.

The star batter played some poor shots, squandering his wicket on multiple occasions. His highest score of 77 came in the first Test. 0,70,1,17,4,1 are his last scores from 6 innings, meaning he failed to notch up a cumulative score of 100 runs on his last 6 innings.

Shubman Gill (6/10)

The star boy of Indian Cricket has been subpar according to the standards that he has set. He wasn’t available for the first Test owing to a neck injury and then featured in the remaining two matches. Shubman too failed to register a century and looked ill at easy quite a couple of times.

30,23,90,1 read his last 4 innings. India needs a stable top order batter and hopes were high after Ro-Ko failed to deliver. Gill too succumbed under the pressure, probably less temperament to play long innings have been has bane.

KL Rahul (2/10)

KL Rahul failed to deliver in the first Test match of the innings. He scored 0,12 in Bengaluru and was then dropped to the bench. While it would be difficult for us to judge a batter based on match where the entire team faltered, but hopes will surely have to be high on senior player of his caliber.

Sarfaraz Khan (4/10)

Sarfaraz Khan delivered in only one innings and save that he has been a flop. 0,150,11,9,0,1 reads his last 6 innings. save the brilliant 150 run knock, the highest individual score by an Indian in this innings, the rest all have been poor from the talented batter.

Rishabh Pant (8.5/10)

Rishabh Pant has been the standout performer with the bat for Team India. The destructive southpaw was the only beacon of hope for the hosts whenever fans hoped that India could potentially win or avoid an innings defeat loss. Despite the batting collapse IND vs NZ 3rd Test, fans had a little glimmer of hope with Pant on the crease. But that too fizzled out when he was dismissed.

20,99,18,0,60,64 reads Pant’s score in the last 6 innings. And that is as good as it can get. Save the second Test match where he looked in poor touch, Pant has been consistently raking up good runs with the bat.

Ravindra Jadeja (7/10)

Ravindra Jadeja continues to be India’s best all-rounder in the longest format of the game. While his batting have been a bit sub par, but he made it up with his good bowling. He scored 0,5,38,42,14,6 in his last 6 innings, which clearly indicates that he hasn’t been too great.

But his bowling numbers are good. He picked (3,0) in Bengaluru, (0,3) in Pune and (5,5) in Mumbai. His best bowling figures came at Wankhede where he managed to bag fifers on both the innings. But still it didn’t matter as India were handed a 3-0 loss by the Kiwis.

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Ravichandran Ashwin (5/10)

Ashwin’s batting wasn’t up to the mark. Given he has helped India recover multiple times down the order. But that grit from Ashwin was missing against the Black Caps. He managed to score, 0,15,4,18,6,8 in the 3 Test matches which are a testament to his poor batting form.

Ashwin’s bowling has been his best attribute and that was showcased in the series. (1,0) in Bengaluru, (3,2) in Pune and (0,3) in Mumbai shows he has been half decent.

Kuldeep Yadav (3/10)

Again, it would be difficult to judge Kuldeep Yadav who have featured in just 1 match in this entire series. (3,0) reads his wicket count in Bengaluru. Following which Kuldeep didn’t play any more matches as he continues to recover from his chronic groin injury.

Washington Sundar (7/10)

The all-rounder have bene decent in the series. He featured in the last two matches and was an asset for his side. 18*,21,38*,12 reads his batting scores which is quite good for a lower middle order. And with the ball he has been sensational. And with the ball (7,4) in Pune and (4,1) in Mumbai he showcased that he is a dependable spin option for the country.

Jasprit Bumrah (4/10)

The vice captain of the team hasn’t been up to his mark. While it is safe to say that all the pitches were spin friendly, but given Bumrah’s caliber he was supposed to deliver more. (1,2) in Bengaluru and (0,0) in Pune showcase his bowling numbers. He was rested for the third Test.

Mohammed Siraj (3/10)

Siraj too wasn’t utilized in this series, owing to spin-friendly tracks. He managed (2,0) in Bengaluru and then was dropped for the Pune Test. And lastly comes the Mumbai Test (0,0) where he wasn’t used in the second innings for the country.

Akash Deep (3.5/10)

Another pacer who failed to make a mark in the series. He wasn’t featured in the first Test and then went on to scalp no wickets in Pune Test. And in the Mumbai Test, he managed to scalp a wicket each on both innings.