Marks out of 10: Player ratings for India in the T20I series against New Zealand

India won the T20I series against New Zealand even before the two sides met in the final T20I at the Eden Gardens. Let’s take a look at the ratings of the Rohit Sharma-led side.

Rohit Sharma- 9/10

Runs 159, Avg 53, HS 56 , SR 154.36

The Mumbai batter was in top form, leading the side with aplomb on the field and performing with the bat. He was robust when opening for India, while his thoughtful bowling changes and field placements helped India with breakthroughs at crucial stages of the series.

KL Rahul- 5.5/10

Runs 80, Avg 40, HS 65, SR 126.98

After scoring 15 runs in the first T20I, Rahul scored an important 49-ball 65 in the next game. While his average was impressive, he didn’t score the runs at the quickest pace, and that lowers his score in our ratings.

Ishan Kishan- 6.5/10

Runs 29, Avg 29, HS 29, SR 138

Kishan managed to impress in his only game at the Eden Gardens. He partnered with Rohit to give India their best start during the powerplay overs, 69 runs, in this series.

Suryakumar Yadav- 7/10

Runs 63, Avg 21, HS 62, SR 136.95

Suryakumar Yadav had two failures in the series, but his splendid, match-winning 40-ball 62 got him a Player of the Match award in the first T20I. He helped fashion India’s chase and ensured that the initiative didn’t drop in the middle overs.

Rishabh Pant- 4/10

Runs 33 , Avg 33, HS 17* , SR 113.79, Catches 3, Stumping 1

The Indian keeper batted in the middle-order in a very settled line-up. He had little to do during the first two games, where India weren’t under much pressure, though he did manage to hit the winning runs in both the matches. He was outfoxed by Mitchell Santner in the final T20I, and failed to get going with the bat, though he impressed with his glovework.

Shreyas Iyer- 3/10

Runs 30, Avg 15, HS 25, SR 107.14

Shreyas was supposed to play anchor in the middle overs, but failed to impress. While he showed glimpses of his old self with a 20-ball 25 in the third T20I, he didn’t really make a strong case for a middle-order role going forward.

Venkatesh Iyer- 6/10

Runs 36 , Avg 18, SR 128.57, Wickets 1, Econ 4

The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder had little to do with the ball in the first two games of the series, but showed some bravado with the bat in the first T20I. After New Zealand had made a comeback in the game, taking it to the final over, the youngster hit his first ball for a four to bring India back into the contest.

In the third T20I at Eden Gardens, he managed to pick a wicket, along with a busy cameo.

Axar Patel- 8/10

Wickets 4, Avg 16.5, BBI 3-9, Econ 6

Axar came into his own while bowling at the Eden Gardens in the third T20I. He ripped apart the New Zealand top-order, picking three wickets in a lethal spell of spin bowling. His performances continue to impress and give the Indian management another option in the left-arm spin department.

Ravichandran Ashwin- 9/10

Wickets 3, Avg 14, BBI 2-23, Econ 5.25

Ashwin proved why he’s important to India’s Australia plans with his performance in this series. His impact went beyond the numbers, wherein his variations bamboozled the Kiwi batters through the first two games.

Yuzvendra Chahal- 5.5/10

Wickets 1, Avg 26, BBI 1-26, Econ 6.5

Chahal was played in the third T20I after India had won the series, and managed to pick a wicket.

Deepak Chahar- 3.5/10

Wickets 3, Avg 36.67, BBI 1-26, Econ 10.64 , Runs 21, S/R 262.5

Deepak didn’t have the best of times with the ball in this series, his presence along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar making the Indian attack a tad bit one dimensional. However, he had a blast the one time he walked out to bat in the series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 6/10

Wickets 3, Avg 25, BBI 2-24, Econ 7.5

The Uttar Pradesh quick showed glimpses of form during his spells in the T20 series. He was taken for some runs in the second T20I, but overall bowled with control and movement.

Mohammad Siraj- 3/10

Wickets 1, Avg 39, BBI 1-39, Econ 9.75

The Hyderabad pacer was taken apart for runs in his only game of the series. He began and ended his quota of overs well, but gave away 29 runs in the middle two overs.

Harshal Patel- 7.5/10

Wickets 4, Avg 12.5, BBI 2-24, Econ 7.31

IPL’s Purple Patel continued his rich form in his T20 debut. He makes up for his lack of express pace, with the subtle variations with the ball. He won a Player of the Match award in his debut game for his brilliant 2-25, where he got the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, and showed his utility with the bat in the final game too.

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