Last week, India ended its 22-year wait for a series victory in Sri Lanka and it came after three hard-fought Test matches. It was also Virat Kohli’s first series win as captain and provided a taste of what we can expect in the near future.
Sixteen Indian players participated over the three Tests. While a few revived their flagging careers and unlikely heroes emerged, others went in the opposite direction. Here on a scale of ten is a rating of how the players fared in Sri Lanka.
Varun Aaron: 2/10
Aaron blew his opportunity in the first Test. He was preferred to Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in order to translate Kohli’s mantra of aggression onto the field. However, his wayward bowling let Sri Lanka off the hook as he conceded nearly six runs per over. He now finds himself lowest in the pecking order of fast bowlers.
Ravichandran Ashwin9/10:
With 21 wickets at an average of 18, Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker and the thrusting force behind India’s series victory. After a lull in his career where influences of the Twenty20 format and perhaps a defensive captain seemed to bog him down, the off-spinner returned to wicket-taking ways with patient and precise bowling. His batting performances though let him down, especially at a time when Kohli hyped him up as a potential all-rounder. He averaged a paltry 15 with the bat, a figure improved only by a classy 58 in the last innings of the series.
Stuart Binny: 7/10
The all-rounder replaced Harbhajan Singh in the first XI and immediately gave India a more balanced look. Although he picked up only three wickets in two Tests, Binny’s tight spells of swing bowling provided solid support to the four frontline bowlers. And his presence at number six, above Saha and Naman Ojha, provided more depth to an Indian batting line-up which had previously given the opposition an added incentive of running early into a long tail.
Shikhar Dhawan: 6/10
A hand injury cut his tour short but his 134 at Galle put India in a dominant position. Dhawan has reclaimed his place as first-choice opener with two tons in two Tests since being dropped in Australia. However, his ultra-defensive mindset on the final morning of the first Test, when India were chasing 176 to win, set the tone for what was to become one of India’s worst-ever batting performances.
Virat Kohli: 7/10
With 233 runs in six innings, at an average of 38, Kohli was India’s highest run-getter but never the protagonist. He was involved in the series’ biggest partnerships (227 with Dhawan, 164 with Rahul) and often stabilised India when the team had lost two early wickets. As for his captaincy, Kohli learned quickly from his errors, made changes after the Galle defeat and remained true to his philosophy of aggression – captaining only the second Indian team ever to take all 60 wickets in a three-Test series.
Amit Mishra – 9/10
After four years in the wilderness, Mishra made full use of his return to the Indian team. The leg-spinner took 15 wickets at an astonishing series-best average of 15 and also contributed a fair chunk of runs (157 at an average of 26) with the bat. His knock of 59 in a 104-run eighth-wicket partnership with Pujara, in the first innings of the final Test, proved crucial in setting up a series win.
Naman Ojha: 7/10
Ojha made his debut in the final Test and immediately showed that he can give Saha a run for his money. He was secure behind the stumps and contributed crucial runs (21 and 35) to the total before throwing his wicket away on both occasions. It is clear that he will be required to curb his Twenty20 instincts to play longer knocks for his country.
Cheteshwar Pujara: 8/10
He is the single-biggest reason behind India managing to win the third Test and thus the series. Having been repeatedly sidelined in favour of players perceived to have more flair, Pujara’s fantastic unbeaten 145, in which he carried his bat through the innings, proved to be the most emphatic statement of intent on the tour. Kohli called it one of the best innings he has ever seen. On a tough, seaming wicket at the SSC in Colombo, Pujara remained resolute while all around him wilted under pressure. It reminded everyone why he has been billed as the "next Rahul Dravid".
Ajinkya Rahane: 6/10
A man for all seasons, Rahane responded to the challenge of batting at number three by scoring a match-defining century. By putting himself in the firing line of the new ball, he helped India extract runs out of Rohit Sharma down the order. Although Rahane had a poor series by his high standards (averaging a shade less than 30), he was the lone warrior in India’s embarrassing collapse at Galle. He also proved himself to be India’s safest pair of hands – his eight catches in the first Test is now a world record for a non-wicketkeeper.
Lokesh Rahul: 5/10
He was awarded the Man of the Match in the second Test for his beautifully crafted 108 – an innings in which he smartly altered his approach to counter spin. Rahul also stepped in behind the stumps for the injured Wriddhiman Saha and took a stunning catch. The low rating, however, stems from a series average of only 21 (his other scores were 7, 5, 2, 2 and 2) and his poor catching form in the slip cordon.
Wriddhiman Saha: 6/10
Saha averaged the most (43) with the bat for any Indian to have batted in more than two innings. Half-centuries in consecutive matches went a long way in erasing the question mark next to his batting ability. However, he didn’t look at complete ease behind the stumps – even dropping the easiest catch a wicketkeeper can hope for.
Ishant Sharma – 8/10
The lanky pacer cemented his place as the leader of India’s pace attack with 13 wickets at an average of 23. His ferocious spells of fast bowling were a thrill to watch and he often provided India a breakthrough when all other weapons in Kohli’s armoury had failed. Ishant’s aggression often bordered on lunacy – first costing him a huge fine and then a one-Test ban – but it was refreshing to see an Indian pacer taking the opponents head on. An eight-wicket final Test, including a five-for in the first innings, was just the icing on the cake.
Rohit Sharma: 6/10
With his technique thoroughly exposed at number three, Sharma managed a steady flow of runs (innings of 79, 34, 26 and 50) at number five to give India a handy middle-order push. He went a long way in repaying the skipper’s faith in his abilities but twice threw his wicket away needlessly in the last minutes of a session.
Harbhajan Singh: 2/10
This series could finally signal the end of Bhajji’s Test career. The veteran spinner had been recalled on the basis of his Indian Premier League performances but he proved to be listless in the first Test – picking up only one wicket in a Test match dominated by spin. He was subsequently dropped and was never in contention for a return.
Murali Vijay: 6/10
India’s gamble on a half-fit Vijay in the second Test paid off. Although he started with a duck, his 82 in the second innings in a pivotal partnership with Ajinkya Rahane set up India’s series-leveling victory. A reoccurrence of his hamstring injury, though, ruled him out of the third Test leaving India without both of its first-choice openers for the decider.
Umesh Yadav: 7/10
Yadav replaced Varun Aaron in the second Test and immediately proved to be an upgrade. He bowled with far more control, swung the ball better and earned India early breakthroughs. Fortune didn’t always favour him. He deserved to pick up more than five wickets in two Tests but it must be noted that all of his five wickets consisted of Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen.
Did not play: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Karun Nair.
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Sixteen Indian players participated over the three Tests. While a few revived their flagging careers and unlikely heroes emerged, others went in the opposite direction. Here on a scale of ten is a rating of how the players fared in Sri Lanka.
Varun Aaron: 2/10
Aaron blew his opportunity in the first Test. He was preferred to Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in order to translate Kohli’s mantra of aggression onto the field. However, his wayward bowling let Sri Lanka off the hook as he conceded nearly six runs per over. He now finds himself lowest in the pecking order of fast bowlers.
Ravichandran Ashwin9/10:
With 21 wickets at an average of 18, Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker and the thrusting force behind India’s series victory. After a lull in his career where influences of the Twenty20 format and perhaps a defensive captain seemed to bog him down, the off-spinner returned to wicket-taking ways with patient and precise bowling. His batting performances though let him down, especially at a time when Kohli hyped him up as a potential all-rounder. He averaged a paltry 15 with the bat, a figure improved only by a classy 58 in the last innings of the series.
Stuart Binny: 7/10
The all-rounder replaced Harbhajan Singh in the first XI and immediately gave India a more balanced look. Although he picked up only three wickets in two Tests, Binny’s tight spells of swing bowling provided solid support to the four frontline bowlers. And his presence at number six, above Saha and Naman Ojha, provided more depth to an Indian batting line-up which had previously given the opposition an added incentive of running early into a long tail.
Shikhar Dhawan: 6/10
A hand injury cut his tour short but his 134 at Galle put India in a dominant position. Dhawan has reclaimed his place as first-choice opener with two tons in two Tests since being dropped in Australia. However, his ultra-defensive mindset on the final morning of the first Test, when India were chasing 176 to win, set the tone for what was to become one of India’s worst-ever batting performances.
Virat Kohli: 7/10
With 233 runs in six innings, at an average of 38, Kohli was India’s highest run-getter but never the protagonist. He was involved in the series’ biggest partnerships (227 with Dhawan, 164 with Rahul) and often stabilised India when the team had lost two early wickets. As for his captaincy, Kohli learned quickly from his errors, made changes after the Galle defeat and remained true to his philosophy of aggression – captaining only the second Indian team ever to take all 60 wickets in a three-Test series.
Amit Mishra – 9/10
After four years in the wilderness, Mishra made full use of his return to the Indian team. The leg-spinner took 15 wickets at an astonishing series-best average of 15 and also contributed a fair chunk of runs (157 at an average of 26) with the bat. His knock of 59 in a 104-run eighth-wicket partnership with Pujara, in the first innings of the final Test, proved crucial in setting up a series win.
Naman Ojha: 7/10
Ojha made his debut in the final Test and immediately showed that he can give Saha a run for his money. He was secure behind the stumps and contributed crucial runs (21 and 35) to the total before throwing his wicket away on both occasions. It is clear that he will be required to curb his Twenty20 instincts to play longer knocks for his country.
Cheteshwar Pujara: 8/10
He is the single-biggest reason behind India managing to win the third Test and thus the series. Having been repeatedly sidelined in favour of players perceived to have more flair, Pujara’s fantastic unbeaten 145, in which he carried his bat through the innings, proved to be the most emphatic statement of intent on the tour. Kohli called it one of the best innings he has ever seen. On a tough, seaming wicket at the SSC in Colombo, Pujara remained resolute while all around him wilted under pressure. It reminded everyone why he has been billed as the "next Rahul Dravid".
Ajinkya Rahane: 6/10
A man for all seasons, Rahane responded to the challenge of batting at number three by scoring a match-defining century. By putting himself in the firing line of the new ball, he helped India extract runs out of Rohit Sharma down the order. Although Rahane had a poor series by his high standards (averaging a shade less than 30), he was the lone warrior in India’s embarrassing collapse at Galle. He also proved himself to be India’s safest pair of hands – his eight catches in the first Test is now a world record for a non-wicketkeeper.
Lokesh Rahul: 5/10
He was awarded the Man of the Match in the second Test for his beautifully crafted 108 – an innings in which he smartly altered his approach to counter spin. Rahul also stepped in behind the stumps for the injured Wriddhiman Saha and took a stunning catch. The low rating, however, stems from a series average of only 21 (his other scores were 7, 5, 2, 2 and 2) and his poor catching form in the slip cordon.
Wriddhiman Saha: 6/10
Saha averaged the most (43) with the bat for any Indian to have batted in more than two innings. Half-centuries in consecutive matches went a long way in erasing the question mark next to his batting ability. However, he didn’t look at complete ease behind the stumps – even dropping the easiest catch a wicketkeeper can hope for.
Ishant Sharma – 8/10
The lanky pacer cemented his place as the leader of India’s pace attack with 13 wickets at an average of 23. His ferocious spells of fast bowling were a thrill to watch and he often provided India a breakthrough when all other weapons in Kohli’s armoury had failed. Ishant’s aggression often bordered on lunacy – first costing him a huge fine and then a one-Test ban – but it was refreshing to see an Indian pacer taking the opponents head on. An eight-wicket final Test, including a five-for in the first innings, was just the icing on the cake.
Rohit Sharma: 6/10
With his technique thoroughly exposed at number three, Sharma managed a steady flow of runs (innings of 79, 34, 26 and 50) at number five to give India a handy middle-order push. He went a long way in repaying the skipper’s faith in his abilities but twice threw his wicket away needlessly in the last minutes of a session.
Harbhajan Singh: 2/10
This series could finally signal the end of Bhajji’s Test career. The veteran spinner had been recalled on the basis of his Indian Premier League performances but he proved to be listless in the first Test – picking up only one wicket in a Test match dominated by spin. He was subsequently dropped and was never in contention for a return.
Murali Vijay: 6/10
India’s gamble on a half-fit Vijay in the second Test paid off. Although he started with a duck, his 82 in the second innings in a pivotal partnership with Ajinkya Rahane set up India’s series-leveling victory. A reoccurrence of his hamstring injury, though, ruled him out of the third Test leaving India without both of its first-choice openers for the decider.
Umesh Yadav: 7/10
Yadav replaced Varun Aaron in the second Test and immediately proved to be an upgrade. He bowled with far more control, swung the ball better and earned India early breakthroughs. Fortune didn’t always favour him. He deserved to pick up more than five wickets in two Tests but it must be noted that all of his five wickets consisted of Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen.
Did not play: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Karun Nair.
