India v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI: India Player Ratings

A splendid exhibition from Rohit Sharma‘s team India saw the Lankans stumble badly after putting up a spirited performance in the last game. Powered by the skipper’s breathtaking double century, India mounted a humongous total batting first for which there was no proper reciprocation coming from the Islanders.

Shikhar Dhawan gave a spectacular start and ensured the run rate was above five on most occasions. The Lankans did bowl well in the initial stages, but as the innings progressed, lack of good planning and very poor execution of yorkers from the bowlers helped India post 392 on the board. Rohit Sharma finished unbeaten on 208 off 153 balls whereas Dhawan got 68. Shreyas Iyer got out on 88 and fell agonizingly short of a well-deserved hundred.

Right from the outset in the second innings, the visitors were off no match to India. Angelo Mathews fought hard but wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Comeback man Asela Gunaratne got a good start but failed to capitalize. Mathews eventually scored a crucial hundred but their side could only manage 251 on board. Here are the player ratings of the Indian players for the Mohali ODI:

1. Rohit Sharma – 10/10

No debates, no arguments! It was a picture-perfect effort from the newly minted Indian skipper, who danced his way through to a record-setting 3rd double ton. There was never an occasion where the bowling effort got the better of him. The boundaries were long, but he kept clearing them with ease. It was simply a brilliant effort from him and words might not be sufficient to describe it.

2. Shikhar Dhawan – 7.5/10

To be frank, he missed out on a well-deserved hundred. Shikhar Dhawan gave a fantastic start to the innings. He maintained a strike rate well above hundred and played some lovely shots. One of his best performances in recent times.

3. Shreyas Iyer – 7.5/10

Wonderful from the young man, who is still making inroads at the International stage. This innings might play a big role in earning the coveted number 4 spot in the team. In an attempt to accelerate the innings, he got out on 88 and although he missed out on a hundred, he was only being unselfish.

4. MS Dhoni – 6/10

Had very little to do. Came in to bat at number 4, but that ain’t a long-term move. Inflicted three dismissals from behind the sticks and as always, he was the unofficial captain of the team on occasions.

5. Hardik Pandya – 5/10

Had very little to do with the bat, but was exceptional with the ball. The all-rounder whose bowling ability was under the scrutiny, bowled brilliantly. He gave away just 39 runs in his ten overs and picked up the first wicket off the innings.

6. Manish Pandey –

Very harsh to rate him because he had absoutely nothing to do. As always, he is never in the bad books when it comes to fielding.

7. Dinesh Karthik –

Similar to that of Manish Pandey, there was nothing coming from him to judge and rate. He would’ve loved to turn things around after that dismal 18-ball duck, but he didn’t get a chance to bat.

8. Washington Sundar – 5/10

Decent debut for the 18-year-old. Picked up a wicket in the second over of his International career, something he’ll revere for a long period. Although Mathews smacked him quite a bit, it was a decent performance from a debutant on a flat track.

9. Jasprit Bumrah – 6/10

Another brilliant game for Bumrah. The fast bowler picked up 2 wickets and gave away just 43 runs in his ten overs. As always, he made scoring incredibly difficult in the game. He was decent on the field as well.

10. Yuzvendra Chahal – 7/10

An extra point for Chahal for being brave on this dead track. Chahal picked up three wickets, but was a tad expensive. The way he set up the wickets of Dickwella, Gunaratne and Perera speaks how smart an individual he is.

11. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 5/10

Disappoints his fans on very few occasions and today was not one of those few occasions. Although the game was pretty much settled half-way through Sri Lanka’s innings, he kept bowling good channels and didn’t lose his focus.