India v South Africa Test series – Indian Player Ratings

India v South Africa Test series – Indian Player Ratings: The victory wasn’t easy for India this time. The Test was an easy ride for Virat Kohli & Co. until the Kotla Test. They were made to toil for nearly 143 overs by Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. They had to work incredibly hard for this 337-run victory. South Africa showed tremendous resistance and Ashwin, Jadeja, Umesh and Ishan faced the gritty challenge bravely. Despite such sluggish batting show by Proteas, the intensity never dropped. There was anticipation from the crowd before every ball was delivered. The first South Africa batsman lasted 138.4 overs! Until tea, South Africa looked very solid and a draw was looking like a possibility. But, fate changed and the Proteas lost five wickets in the space of 31 balls just after coming back from tea. The score in the end read 143/10 in 143.1 overs! It was a superb Test overall. There was resolute batting from both the sides, spin, pace, reverse swing and conclusion of the match in the final session of the final day. Twin centurion Ajinkya Rahane was adjudged as the Man of the Match while Ravichandran Ashwin was the Man of the Series. In India’s last six Test series wins, Ashwin has been India’s leading wicket-taker in all of them. India wrapped the Test Series 3-0 and jumped to the second position in the Test rankings. Here are the Indian Player Ratings for the performance throughout the 4 match Test series: Murali Vijay 7/10: Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: BCCI) Murali Vijay was India’s most dependable man at the top of the order. Vijay started the series on a very positive note, scoring a half century in the very match of the series. However, his performance shrunk a little as the series progressed. His batting partner Shikhar Dhawan was struggling and his decent show in the series helped India’s batting to an extent. Overall in the series, Vijay accumulated 210 runs at an average of 35. His best innings of the series (75) came in the first innings of the first Test. Also Read – India v South Africa Test series – South Africa Player Ratings Shikhar Dhawan 4/10: Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: BCCI) Shikhar Dhawan has had a very mediocre series. Dhawan had a very poor start to the series as he was dismissed for twin ducks. The best innings he played in the series was the 45 run knock he played in the second Test in the rain-washed, second Test at Bangalore. In all, Dhawan managed just 150 runs in the four-match series. He should have savored the home conditions, but failed to come good. He needs to hit form soon if he wants to continue being a part of the Test team. Cheteshwar Pujara 6/10: Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: BCCI) Pujara also had a very disappointing series as per his standards. He could only muster only 202 runs in the 4 Tests. He managed to get the starts but was unable to convert them into big knocks, something which is characteristically associated with his batting. His best performance came in the first Test where he scored 75 in the second innings. The way he gets out is also not acceptable, he was dismissed by spinners in the first and the third Test bowled right through his defence. As a number three batsman, Pujara must try to be more responsible than the rest. Virat Kohli 8/10: Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI) The skipper is the last batsman of the five to have managed 200 runs in the series. Kohli aggregates exactly 200 runs at an average of 33.33 after the conclusion of the Test series. He was struggling at the start. He would start confidently but would soon get out unpredictably. His only memorable performance in the series was the knock of 88 runs where he shared a solid partnership with Ajinkya Rahane in the last Test. His captaincy was also highly appreciable. Ajinkya Rahane 8.5/10: Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ajinkya Rahane was facing a lot of fire for his inability to perform in familiar home condition. His performance in the 1st and the 3rd Test only added fuel to that fire. However, Rahane shunned everyone by slamming twin centuries (127, 100*) in the last Test. He finished the series as the highest run-getter with 266 runs to his name at an average of 53.20. Rohit Sharma 2.5/10: Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI) Rohit Sharma was called back to the squad after a brilliant show in the Ranji Trophy. He was included in the playing eleven from the third Test but could not do much. Sharma has only 26 runs from 2 Tests. Out of the four innings, Sharma was dismissed for single-digit score thrice and made 23 in the second innings of the third Test which happens to be the only time he managed to reach double figures. Wriddhiman Saha 7/10: Wriddhiman Saha (© Getty Images) Wriddhiman Saha could only accumulate 83 runs in the series. Surely, this performance would make him think about his batting contribution to the team. However, his wicketkeeping skills were highly admirable. He was exceptional behind the wickets and hardly spilled any decent chance. The sensational catch to dismiss Dane Piet would be remembered every time the last Test is talked about. Saha has 7 dismissals to his credit which include 5 catches and 2 stumpings. Stuart Binny 2/10: Stuart Binny. (© Getty Images) Stuart Binny played only one Test at Bengaluru which was washed out by rains. He was given the new ball and bowled three overs before being removed from the attack. He did not get any considerable opportunity in the series. Thus, it would be unfair to judge him. Ravindra Jadeja 9.5/10: Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravindra Jadeja was the partner in crime for Ravichandran Ashwin. He ended up as the second-highest wicket taker of the series behind Ashwin. In all, Jaddu has 23 wickets at a stunning average of 10.82. He was adjudged man of the match for his impressive performance of 5/21 in the first Test. In all, Jadeja has two five-wicket hauls at the conclusion of the series. He also contributed 109 runs with the bat in four matches. Ravichandran Ashwin 9.5/10: Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravichandran Ashwin was hands down the best bowler in the series. No bowler is even close his majestic tally of 31 wickets in the four-match series, Jaddu is a distant second in the list. Ashwin has 4 five-wicket hauls and 1 ten-wicket haul. Ashwin was virtually unplayable at Mohali and Nagpur. However, his brilliance was tested in the second innings of the fourth Test but he overcame that too. His best bowling figure of 7/66 came at Nagpur where ended the match with 12 wickets and was also adjudged as the Man of the Match. Amit Mishra 8/10: Amit Mishra. (Photo Source: BCCI) Amit Mishra played the role of a perfect foil to R Ashwin. He was the man who would claim the all-important wickets at crucial moments for India. Mishra finished the series with 7 wickets in 2 Tests at an average of 17.28. His best bowling figures (3/51) came in the third Test at Nagpur which included the scalps of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis. Ishant Sharma 5/10: Ishant Sharma. (Photo Source: AFP) Ishant Sharma bowled wicketless until the first innings of the final Tests. It was a back-breaking series for him as he bowled long unyielding spells on dusty pitches. He could only take one solitary wicket in the whole series which was of Dane Vilas in the first innings of the last Test. Umesh Yadav 7/10: Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) Umesh Yadav played just two Tests in the series and he did well to justify his selection. He was a part of the squad in the 1st and the 4th Test. His most impressive performance came in the 4th Test where he picked five wickets. Yadav bowled with bull’s stamina in the second innings of the final Test where he was tested brashly by the Proteas batsmen who played him for just 9 runs off 21 overs. Umesh bowled an exceptional spell of reverse swing bowling and to an extent opened up the blocked gates. Varun Aaron 4/10: Varun Aaron. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Varun Aaron had limited chances this series and could only play 2 Tests after he was swapped for Rohit Sharma in the third Test. He could only get two wickets in the series. However, he cannot be blamed for this performance as the pitches were not conducive to his bowling. In spite of this fact, he bowled at lively speed and was very effective. Also Read – Top 10 Teams with Most Test Wins

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