Best India team in the last 15-20 years, huh Ravi?
India entered England with arguably its most potent seam attack in over a decade, a hungry captain and world’s best batsman Virat Kohli, as well as the hope of the nation after a promising finish to the South Africa series.
Instead, they leave with a worse series result than 2014. They averaged 23.94 with the bat in 2014, and 23.90 here. Results speak louder than fiction, and with a 2-6 record in Tests this year, such a claim by Shastri is as justifiable as going to McDonald’s straight after a gym session. This is coupled with India’s continued inability to clean up opposition tails away from home, and grasp the key moments in matches.
For England, well, it was the perfect end to the series. Alastair Cook received the amazing fairy tale he deserved, finishing off with a century and thunderous ovation from The Oval crowd.
James Anderson went past Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 Test wickets to round off a comprehensive, yet slightly flattering 4-1 series victory.
Adil Rashid bowled a delivery the English media will call the “ball of the millennium”, and Joe Root finally converted a fifty into a century, thanks to some room service assistance from the Indian bowlers and fielders.
In this article, I will go through each player and rate them out of ten. I will also rate myself out of ten for my debut Dream11 efforts. As always, it is a light-hearted piece. Enjoy!
England
Alastair Cook: The farewell this man deserved. Not only a fine batsman, but a fine person, and everyone thanked him in unison. Jasprit Bumrah’s second innings overthrow to help Cook reach his century was a mark of respect. OMG. Even Piers Morgan was thanking Cook. A great finish from a great player. 10
Keaton Jennings: If picked, England will start their batting innings one down in Sri Lanka. I don’t mean to be too harsh, but Jennings looks out of his depth. Two disappointing dismissals from a Test opener. 5
Moeen Ali: A performance not as good as Southampton, but still very solid from ‘Mo. Involved in a slow, but important first innings partnership, and was among the wickets. 7
Joe Root: Before the second innings, Joe Root’s series highlights involved him raising up both arms to ask for a review. But, stop the press, he has converted a fifty into a hundred. Word on the street is that he took the Indians out for dinner as a thank you. Finishes the series as captain of a team who won a series 4-1. 8.5
Jonny Bairstow: Employing a white ball technique in red ball cricket. On pitches with assistance for bowlers, exposing your stumps is like putting your hand closer and closer towards a fire. A fine player, but needs to adjust better. 4
Ben Stokes: Few wickets and a 30. Still yet to find his best form. Should be given the chance to get over any injuries. 5
Jos Buttler: Brilliant first innings knock that got England on top. You just felt that all of India was worried about this man the night after day one and morning of day two. 300+ was always going to be tough for India to overtake. The summer of Jos. 8.5
Sam Curran: England’s man of the series, and rightly so. What a brilliant series from the man I call the “baby faced assassin”. This was a quieter Test for him, but contributed when given the chance. 6.5
Adil Rashid: Before his wicket of KL Rahul that opened the door for England, I described Adil Rashid as a university student who does little work in a group assignment, and then gets credit for a good group mark. His delivery was magnificent, and will sure to spark up “Warne v Rashid” conversations among people who have had one or two drinks too many. The Pant and Rahul wickets went a decent way to proving his worth. 6
Stuart Broad: Stuart Broad or Stuart Bradman? His first innings batting was impressive, even if aided by India’s incompetence. With the ball, he was somewhat unspectacular, but constantly asked questions. Dismissing the great Virat Kohli for a first ball duck is some effort. 7
James Anderson: When in doubt, call Jimmy. Went past Glenn McGrath’s tally, and deserves good accolades. His bowling on a good batting pitch throughout the Test was superb, picking up five wickets for 99 in 43.3 overs. 8.5
India:
Shikhar Dhawan: Why did only Alastair Cook getting a standing ovation in his last Test innings? Why not Shikhar Dhawan as well? A very good question put forward by @LordShastri. 1
KL Rahul: KL has set his template for how he will go about batting in Test Cricket. A fantastic 149 in the second innings sparked hope of a miracle run chase. Will be dangerous in Australia. 8
Cheteshwar Pujara: Despite some good moments, particularly in Southampton, it was a largely disappointing series from Cheteshwar Pujara. Should he be persisted with in Australia? 4
Virat Kohli: Didn’t get out once to James Anderson all series. After a heavy series defeat, Kohli the batsman can hold his head up high, despite a disappointing end. Deservedly India’s man of the series. Kohli the captain, though, needs a little improving. 5
Ajinkya Rahane: I’m currently travelling for work, and would love a pillow as soft as Ajinkya Rahane’s second innings dismissal. Like Pujara, it wasn’t Rahane’s best series. But, I think India should stick with him in Australia. 4
Hanuma Vihari: Plenty of encouraging signs to suggest he can be an excellent player for India. Solid first class record, and though he luckily survived an LBW shout early in his first innings, he showed good temperament and technique in his half century. Few wickets, too. 6.5
Rishabh Pant: When he gets going, he is a joy to watch. Hits more boundaries than David “Bumble” Lloyd mentions “IPL”, much to the predictable dismay of Michael Holding. Awesome second innings century, part of a record sixth wicket stand for India v England. Shame how it ended, though. 8
Ravindra Jadeja: If Jadeja wants to come out and say “that’ll teach the selectors for leaving me out,” no one can stand in his way. I can’t help but think what impact he could have had in the series had he played most matches. Kept India in the game with ball and bat. 9
Ishant Sharma: Suffered an injury, but an impressive series for Ishant. Wonderful first innings bowling effort. 7
Mohammed Shami: Did Shami do anything to make the Cricket Gods angry? His match figures did not reflect how he bowled. He deserved much greater reward for his efforts. 5.5
Jasprit Bumrah: Again impressed at stages, and kept working hard. The fact he knows that Test Cricket is a game of patience is a good sign. He will be on the plane to Australia and should line up in the first Test. 6.5
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So, as much as it pains me to say, congratulations England.
In addition to this player ratings piece, I will do a series ratings for each player, as well as a few predictions for the fast approaching Asia Cup.
Stay tuned!
