From the emergence of Jayant Yadav and Karun Nair to Virat Kohli’s stunning new heights, ESPNcricinfo rates India’s players after their 4-0 win over England
Alagappan Muthu21-Dec-20162:12
Who is India’s MVP?
9Virat Kohli
There were many feats he performed over the past six weeks – hitting grubbers to the boundary in Visakhapatnam, and scoring nearly 60 percent of what the entire England team managed in Mumbai. It’s the attitude that makes him as good as he is. He loves a fight, and when he is in the middle of one, he seems to have the time of his life. On the final day in Rajkot, with India facing the possibility of losing the first match of the series, a ball from left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari burst out of the pitch and went past his right shoulder into the wicketkeeper’s hands. Kohli had a mischievous little grin on his face and turned to the square leg umpire to make a signal for one bouncer for the over. He hasn’t quite faced a side, or conditions that undermine India’s strengths yet, and may still be learning as a captain – odd as that is to say after he’s led the team through an unprecedented 18 Tests without a defeat.R Ashwin
A strong stock delivery. A host of variations. No shortage of confidence. And more than happy to indulge in mind games. There was a legspinner who used to do all that. Ashwin seems to be doing his best to fill the void. “I’m looking forward to try and play on his confusion,” he said of Ben Duckett the day before dismissing him a third successive time and forcing him out of the XI. If a 22-year-old, playing his second series may not have been the toughest opponent, how about the man tipped for the England captaincy? Ashwin got Joe Root with dip in the second Test, when he had gone well past fifty, and with drift in Mumbai. The surface was not needed for any of those dismissals. The deception was all in the air. Bodes well for when he travels outside. Became the first Indian to score 300 runs and take 25 wickets in a series.8Ravindra Jadeja
Often, the praise he gets is tinged with a sense that it won’t last. He had Michael Clarke’s number in 2013. He had Alastair Cook’s number in 2016. And the critics are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Zips through his overs. Retains his discipline whether it is his first ball of the day or the last one. The batsman gets no respite. Additionally, in this series, he has shown a willingness to toss the ball up more, thereby gaining drift and dip. Keaton Jennings’ dismissal during the Chennai collapse was a prime example of how this new-found skill enhances his threat. The batsman came down the track, but the ball weaved away in the air, forcing him to check his shot and pop a return catch. Jadeja’s 90 in Mohali also featured all the characteristics of a top-order batsman, and his catch in Chennai to dismiss Jonny Bairstow was comfortably the kind that kept getting better with each viewing.7Cheteshwar Pujara
Marked the first time his father came to see him play for India live with a century. It also contributed to India staying afloat despite England putting up 537 on the board. Followed it up with another ton in Visakhapatnam. Responded to the team asking him to show more intent. Seemed at ease though he is playing only one format and as such has to go through long periods without international cricket. Was troubled by the bouncer, though, and the old weakness of his – playing around straight balls – hasn’t been cut out of his game yet. It was, however, masked by the patience he showed against the quicks, and the skill with which he dominated the spinners.M Vijay
The mental strength he has is readily apparent, for he has a game that demands high levels of concentration: leaving countless balls outside off stump while waiting for the right one to put away. In Mumbai, he used a part of that to overcome a perceived weakness. After a century in Rajkot, it seemed like Vijay was not dealing with lifters well. He responded by scoring 136 in Mumbai to make sure England do not get a lead despite making 400. Of course, the Wankhede pitch was awful for the seamers, but there was plenty of spin, and Vijay is remarkable at handling that. He steps down the track late, and yet gets to the pitch of the ball quickly. And the hit is clean more often than not. He put the pressure back on Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, and they buckled. Since they were the only two spinners in the team, England buckled too.Karun Nair
One innings does make all the difference. He was a replacement player – getting his chance only because Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were injured – but his 303 not out might just make his among the first names put down on the team sheet in the next Test. Granted the innings was played on perhaps the best batting track of the series, but Nair did have other things to worry about. There were notions that even if he made a hundred, he might end up losing his place because he was not among India’s first-choice options in the middle order. By turning that into a triple, he has forced the selectors, if not to vote in his favour, to at least feel awkward when not doing so.Karun Nair has given Kohli a selection headache with his triple century•AFP6Jayant Yadav
“You might see some surprises,” Kohli said the day before Jayant made his debut, and an impression so strong that he became part of the first-choice XI. His athleticism helped India make the incision they wanted, and England’s blockathon fell away after that. There appear to be no tricks to his bowling, but he did castle Ben Stokes with a ripping offbreak that was almost too good to be true. A high-arm action allows him to extract more bounce than the opposition expects. A very capable lower-order batsman, he became the first Indian to hit a century at No. 9. Could become a regular feature when India play at home.KL Rahul
It may be hard to erase the sight of him on his knees, horror in his eyes, trudging back to the dressing room in Chennai. The disappointment was understandable – he had fallen on 199 – but it dissipated soon enough as he took the catch that set off England’s final innings collapse, racing away from leg slip to square leg in celebration. He admitted that it was “tough” being in and out of the side; “tough” that he kept getting injured. But when he is fit and firing, Rahul appears to have incorporated just enough of the one-day game to be an excellent foil to Vijay and Pujara at the top of the order.Parthiv Patel
For someone who hadn’t played for India in eight years, at times, he was doing some very important jobs. Stepped up to open when the specialists were injured, and did so after keeping wicket for over 150 overs in Chennai. Earned the approval of his captain, and perhaps a long-term presence in the squad moving forward. Missed out on a maiden century, playing an unnecessary shot. Could be sharper behind the stumps.Mohammed Shami Would have been rated higher had his body held up. Bowled the ball of the series to break Cook’s off stump in the second Test. Later derived reverse swing – with the second new ball when it was only seven overs old. Clearly India’s No. 1 fast bowler. Emphasis on the fast because he has often hit the mid 140 kph. One of the main reasons why the experts think India’s quicks outbowled England’s in the series.4Umesh Yadav
Good in spurts. Would have got a five-for in the first innings in Mohali but for a dreadful morning when India dropped three catches. Is always in the XI on pitches that are unhelpful because he has raw pace and can make the old ball hoop around. But becomes surplus when conditions are ripe for swing and seam because of his problems with consistency.3Ajinkya Rahane
His first dismal series since his debut in 2013. His wicket on the final day in Rajkot – cutting against the turn – gave England hope of an unlikely win. Fell to the second new ball late on the opening day in Visakhapatnam and bagged his first duck in over a year in Mohali. Was injured before he could play his first Test at home in Mumbai. Remains India’s first choice at No. 5 though, considering in each of the nine previous series, at home and abroad, he made at least one score of 90-plusWriddhiman Saha
Looked uneasy as a batsman – as he normally does at the start of every innings. Seemed a little vulnerable behind the stumps too. Fluffed opportunities in Rajkot – Ben Stokes, who scored a century, was dropped twice and survived a stumping chance in Visakhapatnam too. Both the management and the pundits back him to regain his form, but he would know the competitionAmit Mishra
Skillful legspinner. But he struggles on slow surfaces and may well have slipped down the line to his Haryana team-mate Jayant. Did well on the last day in Chennai to keep the pressure up and unveiled a lovely googly to dismiss Liam Dawson for a duck. More was expected of him.Balls such as the one from Mohammed Shami that splintered Alastair Cook’s off-stump showed the upswing in India’s fast bowling•Associated PressOne TestGautam Gambhir (29 runs at 14.50)
Did well on the second day in Rajkot to help India go to stumps unscathed and then mount their charge. But a dreadful lbw dismissal in the second innings, getting into a tangle and falling across to a full, straight delivery, left him open to the axe.Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Like some of his team-mates, who play in only one format, he seems to be needed only when the pitch and overhead conditions are in favour of fast bowlers. Came in for the Mumbai Test and didn’t make quite the impact he would have liked.Ishant Sharma
Took a wicket in the third over of his return. Has learned to bowl a fuller length to make himself more of a threat. But again, on unhelpful pitches, he goes out of favour and the outright fast bowlers come in.
