India v England, 1st T20I - India Player Ratings

After an exciting ODI series, the action moved to Kanpur for the shortest format of the game. Team England were hopeful of turning the tables around in the T20Is against the spirited team India. The stage was set for Virat Kohli to lead India for the first time in the T20 format. England had registered a narrow win in the last ODI and hence had the momentum coming into the game. Things went right for them right from the toss. Eoin Morgan won the toss and opted to bowl first.

The wicket at Eden Park Stadium looked slightly on the slower side and hence the call was justified. Virat Kohli came in to open with KL Rahul. Kohli took the opening role in order to strike balance in the playing eleven to accommodate Suresh Raina. After Rahul’s departure, Raina and Kohli put on a brief stand to see India tick over on the scorecard.

But wickets soon started tumbling. Kudos to a late 27-ball 36 from MS Dhoni, India finished with 147/7 on the board. In the run chase, the English openers gave a flying start to the visitors. Despite Yuzvendra Chahal’s twin strike, England never looked uncomfortable in the run chase. A fifty from the skipper guided them home with 7 wickets in hand.

Here are the India player ratings for the match:

KL Rahul – 1/10

The last time KL Rahul played for the Indian team in a T20I, he had scored a ton against West Indies in Florida. A lot of was expected of him coming into the match. The Karnataka batsman largely disappointed. He had the perfect setup with skipper Virat Kohli opening alongside him.

Much to the disappointment of the fans, KL Rahul’s poor run in limited-overs cricket continued. He could score only 8 runs on the day. He was the first man to be dismissed in the match. Rahul needs to pull up his socks else he might have to make way for someone like Rishabh Pant or Mandeep Singh.

Virat Kohli – 5/10

Skipper Virat Kohli changed his batting position to the opening slot in order to aid balance to the line up. Also, Kohli moving up the order made space for an extra batsman in the lineup. This was not the first time he opened in a T20 game. He had done it before for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

But, on the day, he could not replicate his heroics of the IPL against England. He got a decent start but failed to make it count. He was dismissed after scoring 29 off 26 balls with four 4s to his name. Just when team wanted him to launch, he was dismissed.

Suresh Raina – 6/10

The comeback man Suresh Raina had all eyes glued on him. He was sent in to bat at number 3 after KL Rahul was dismissed cheaply in the 5th over. Raina looked good at the crease though took a while to get going. Once he found his feet in the middle, he hit fours and a six in his quick 23 balls 24.

He perished in his attempt to clear Ben Stokes at a time when the team wanted him to hold the fort from one end. Raina could have played more sensibly on the day.

Yuvraj Singh – 2/10

Yuvraj Singh was a celebrated name in the ODI series. His shots and form had garnered praises from all corners in the 3 ODIs. However, the veteran batsman failed to translate his form into the shortest format. He came in at the dismissal of Virat Kohli and by large, had big boots to fill at the crease.

Yuvraj struck an early boundary to give hopes to the fans cheering him in the stands. But it was only a matter of a few deliveries that his stay was cut short by Liam Plunkett. He was dismissed for just 12. For India to excel in the next games, Yuvraj needs to step up.

MS Dhoni – 6.5/10

MS Dhoni emerged as the top scorer for Team India in the match. It was his unbeaten knock of 36 that saw the team put on a respectable 147 runs on the board. Had Dhoni been out early, there would have been absolute chaos at the middle. Unlike the other players in the lineup, he mixed caution with aggression.

He waited for the right time to launch in. It was in the last over that he hit two fours to get the momentum in India’s favor before coming in to bowl. His unbeaten 36 came off 27 balls with 3 fours.

Hardik Pandya – 3/10

Hardik Pandya had a lackluster day at the office. He failed to shine with both bat and bowl. The platform was set for Pandya to launch in when he walked in to bat. He had MS Dhoni at the other end and had full freedom to go for the full monty. Pandya, however, struggled to get his feet going.

He consumed 12 deliveries for his 9 runs before heading back to the pavilion. In the bowling department, he was given just two overs that yielded 12 runs and no wickets.

Manish Pandey – 1/10

Manish Pandey’s return to the field in Indian colors was far from being impressive. Having been left out of the playing eleven for quite some time now, Pandey had the ideal opportunity to prove his mettle yet again. He came in at a time when most Indian batsmen had failed.

Had Pandey scored well in the match, he could have reinstated his position in the Indian team. It was not to be so. He could score just 3 on the day. Do not get startled if Pandey makes way for someone like Rishabh Pant in the match that follows.

Parvez Rasool – 4/10

Off-spinner Parvez Rasool walked in to the match riding on impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy this year. He made his T20I debut today. The Jammu and Kashmir skipper had to sacrifice his wicket during India innings in order to save MS Dhoni.

Later in the day, he bowled fair enough to end up with figures of 1/32 in his four overs. He would have surely liked to have a lower economy than what the scorecard showed. He dismissed English skipper Eoin Morgan in the match.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 6/10

Without a doubt, Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the match. Many questioned his inclusion in the side. He was picked in the playing eleven ahead of veteran leggie Amit Mishra. Chahal silenced all his critics with guile and precision in the match.

He dismissed the dangerous looking Jason Roy early in the innings soon after he was introduced in the attack. He then got rid of the other opener, Sam Billings, too. He finished with figures of 2/27 in his four overs.

Jasprit Bumrah – 2/10

The English batsmen made Jasprit Bumrah look very ordinary in the match. Bumrah, who is a renowned T20 specialist, could not impress much on the day. He was taken away for runs in the powerplay. Later, he did bowl a couple of dot balls in a arrow in his third over.

However, it was a little too late. England cruised along the target as Bumrah gave away 26 runs in the 3.1 overs that he bowled. He was the only Indian bowler to have bowled a no ball in the match.

Ashish Nehra – 1/10

Ashish Nehra made a comeback to competitive cricket after almost 9 months. However, the comeback for the 37-year-old was not as good as he would have liked. The English openers took special liking to his bowling in the powerplays.

He failed to pick up a wicket on the day and that is something that surely hurt the team. He finished with figures of none for 31 in the 3 overs that he bowled. Nehra needs to pull up his socks for the next two games.