Published: Mar 27, 2015, 10:19 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 27, 2015, 10:19 PM (IST)
Despite the defeat to Australia in the semi-final, India had a magnificent campaign at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. They did exceedingly well to record seven consecutive victories at a time when many had written them off. Nishad Pai Vaidya rates the performance of each player.
Shikhar Dhawan — 9/10
With a run-tally of over 400, Dhawan did a remarkable job for India at the top of the order. He deserves the accolades for he was written off before the tournament. Many were sceptical about his ability to do well on Australian surfaces, but the ton against South Africa showed that he could fight fire with fire. The way he dealt with short deliveries is what impressed the most during this tournament. READ: MS Dhoni quashes retirement rumours, to take call next year
Mohammed Shami — 9/10
Shami is a fantastic one-day bowler and one can safely say that his reputation has grown during this World Cup. For the skipper, he was the go-to man who would be brought on when India needed to attack. He used the short ball to good effect against some of the top players and emerged successful. With 17 wickets in the tournament at 17.29 and an economy rate under five, Shami deserves the accolades. READ: MS Dhoni’s men can be proud of their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 campaign
Umesh Yadav — 8.5/10
Umesh was a bit expensive at times, but he found his consistency during this World Cup. His extra pace added dimension to the bowling attack and gave it more bite He finished as India’s leading wicket-taker, with 18. There were times when he conceded too many runs, but his tournament economy rate of 4.98 shows that he has done a fine job. India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final: Social media reactions
Mohit Sharma — 8.5/10
Coming in as a replacement, Mohit had to fill in the shoes of Ishant Sharma. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury thrust him into the limelight and he responded by bowling good spells to back Shami and Umesh. With 13 wickets, Mohit delivered a stable performance to help the side maintain the pressure. READ: Sachin Tendulkar congratulates Australia for reaching World Cup final
MS Dhoni — 8/10
The charismatic skipper maintained his own during the World Cup. Despite a dismal tri-series before the tournament, Dhoni’s body language remained positive. His batting was not as good as his high standards (he still finished at the top of the average chart), but it included crucial knocks against West Indies and Zimbabwe. In the semi-final, he was the lone man who fought till the end. PHOTOS:India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: 2nd semi-final at Sydney
Suresh Raina — 7.5/10
Raina’s innings against Pakistan was as crucial as Virat Kohli’s ton, if not more. In the tournament Raina did well to maintain a good World Cup record. He spared India the blushes against Zimbabwe and got an important fifty against Bangladesh in the quarter-final. He continues to show why he is crucial in the middle overs. He also did a tidy job with the ball. VIDEO: India vs Australia Semi-Final Full Match Video Highlights
Rohit Sharma — 7/10
Rohit finished with two fifties and one ton. The two fifties came against UAE and Ireland. One may say that he could have done better, but in the quarter-final against Bangladesh he rose to the occasion for that important century. READ: MS Dhoni laughs off retirement suggestions
Virat Kohli — 6.5/10
Kohli began the tournament with a magnificent ton in a high pressure game against Pakistan. Thereafter he looked in good touch and was hitting the ball well. He finished with a couple of unbeaten knocks as he finished two run-chases. However, he failed to convert a couple of starts and then fumbled in the knockouts. Yet, he averages over 50 and that should tell you that it has not been such a bad tournament for him after all. READ: 5 reasons India lost the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against Australia
Ajinkya Rahane — 6/10
Rahane had only one big innings in the tournament, the combative 79 against South Africa. In that match he simply dominated and helped India put up a big score He then finished a run-chase against Ireland. However, Rahane continues to be an inconsistent player in ODIs. An average of 34.66 in the World Cup shows that he got starts but hasn’t quite been able to make them count. READ: Five witty things Dhoni said during press conference following ICC World Cup 2015
Ravindra Jadeja — 5/10
It was an average performance by the left-armer. He hardly got a chance with the bat as the top order was on song. His only crucial contribution came against Bangladesh where he essayed a handy cameo towards the end. With the ball in hand, he had a few tough spells, which reflects in his average of 39.66. READ: India vs Australia: Ajit Wadekar feels Losing the toss was big blow
Bhuvneshwar Kumar — 4/10
Bhuvneshwar did not have much to do on most match days. He played the lone game against UAE and did well to take a wicket and concede few runs. READ: Unfair to target Virat Kohli after defeat in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
