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| Che Pujara - perfect 10 on 10. |
Indian report card - (read as name: TWP performance score (1st innings; 2nd innings)
Gautam Ghambhir: 4/10 - (45 runs)
Gambhir unfortunately had to miss two days of the test match as his grandmother had passed away. His contribution hence was with the bat alone in the first innings and at the top managed to score 45 runs giving India the ideal start on day one. He did fail to capitalize on his start, but nevertheless with Sehwag managed to put on a century opening stand, laying the platform for India's mammoth score.
Virender Sehwag: 8/10 - (117 runs; 25 runs)
Sehwag with a century set up India in the first innings and in the second contributed with a quickfire twenty odd, propelling India to the target faster. Sehwag's century managed to completely deplete the English morale on the first day and the way he treated their bowlers with absolute disdain semmed to take the fight out of everyone except Graeme Swann. When he was at the crease, India were going at a run rate well over 5 runs an over, and Sehwag as usual provided the heavy battery clearing the way before the Indian middle order cashed in and built on his innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara: 10/10 - (206* runs; 41* runs)
Is there a way to give Pujara more than 10? Surely some bonus points for that brilliant double century (206*) in the first innings? Pujara was India's rock and he held the innings together batting undefeated for 513 minutes. His innings was a treat to watch and Pujara is one very, very talented batsman whose name, I'm sure we'll be hearing for a long, long while. He batted sensibly and it looked as if Rahul Dravid never really retired, when Pujara flicked through the mid-wicket. His innings in the second innings was a beauty as Pujara started to attack the English bowling without remorse that Sehwag was playing the second fiddle through it. Pujara's cover drives and flicks through mid-wicket have a stamp of authority and his defense is rock solid. He is hungry for runs and I just loved what he said after scoring his incredible double.
"Even after scoring a double hundred I never wanted to give away my wicket. That’s the reason why I’m able to score big runs.”India will be hoping for many more runs from this young man's blade.
Sachin Tendulkar: 1/10 - (13 runs; DNB)
Sachin Tendulkar went cheaply with the bat in the first innings and his contribution to the match was very little. Luckily, India weren't affected by it, but hopefully he can gets some runs at his home in Mumbai.
Virat Kohli: 2/10 - (19 runs; 14* runs)
Virat Kohli looked good in the first innings, taking his own time to get in, but then a magic delivery from Swann saw him back. In the second innings he knocked off the last few needed runs with ease and though his contribution wasn't much, this match must have surely been a great learning experience. In the field, he was ecstatic, running up to Dhoni to regularly have a word with him about something and it's great to see him being so involved in the game.
Yuvraj Singh: 6/10 - (74 runs; DNB)
The comeback man had a memorable match. His half century in the first innings propelled India to the 500 mark. His innings was full of aggression and the way he treated the English spinners was a sight to watch. Watching him give away his wicket with a wild swing was sad to watch, and he needs to convert a good score to a big score as Pujara did. Having a left hander in the middle order gives more variety and Yuvraj this time looks to cement his place in the test side. It's just one innings, but nevertheless a step in the right direction.
MS Dhoni: 3/10 - (5 runs; DNB)
why am I giving Dhoni 3? Well it's 0 points for his batting and 3 for his captaincy. He didn't contribute with the bat, but he did manage his bowlers well and made all the right moves.
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| Left-arm orthodox spin never looked so good before! |
Ojha was was the mastermind of India's win and his contribution is equally valuable as Pujara's. On a turning track, he exploited the conditions well and made sure that the English batsmen were in for a very difficult time in the middle. He brought his A game, and with his flight, sharp spin, and variations in speed, trajectory and spin, Ojha managed to become India's leading wicket taker. England apart from Cook were clueless against him, and even cook after batting for over 500 plus minutes fell to Ojha. His two wickets today of Prior and Cook sealed the game in India's favor. Never has left-arm orthodox spin looked so good before!
Ravichandran Ashwin: 5.5/10 - (23 runs & 3 wickets; DNB & 1 wicket)
Ashwin in the first innings bowled beautifully and got 3 wickets to his name. However in the second innings, he fell away. It wasn't that he was bowling badly, but it was just that the wicket never arrived and for once Ashwin was feeling the heat as he went over 50 overs without a wicket. He eventually did pick up Swann at the end, to avoid being wicketless in the second innings. The second innings was surely a steep learning curve for him and it will do him good to learn to be patient when the batsman get in. He looked frustrated and tried a little too much, compromising on his consistency. On a dust bowl, and a track that turned square on the last two days, he would have loved to have more wickets, but 4 from the match is a decent return.
Zaheer Khan: 5.5/10 - (7 runs & 1 wicket; DNB & 2 wickets)
The Indian bowling spearhead was up to his usual tricks and magic and though the condition wasn't very helpful for seamers, Zaheer Khan toiled hard. The three wickets don't really do him justice, and he bowled much better than that. He kept the pressure constantly on the English batsman and once the ball started reversing, he made the English batsmen's life even more difficult.
Umesh Yadav: 6.5/10 - (1 wicket; 3 wickets)
Umesh Yadav like Zaheer Khan toiled hard in conditions not very helpful to seam bowling and it was great to see the youngster bowling his heart out and generating some speed. His performance like Zaheer's are much better than what the number shows. Though he was a bit inconsistent, Yadav seems to be a good bowler and with the ability to reverse swing the ball, he is a lethal force to be reckon with.
Overall team India's average - 5.6/10
All in all, a very good performance by India and if India can repeat this performance at Mumbai, then they'd surely be on their way to clinching the series.
You can also check out team England's report card of the Ahmadabad test, here.
Check out the mini-session analysis of the match here.
4 Comments:
Nice post, I do agree with you on many of the ratings but.... Dhoni deserves a 0.5. Here's why: 5 off 37 balls was a terrible innings given the situation when India were looking for quick runs. His keeping was absolutely atrocious, missed a few stumpings and gave away many byes. Of course, he's taking it cool since there's no one who can take his spot ATM, but what if his clumsiness had cost us the match? Also, a captain is as good as his team, so you can't give him points for that. Other than that, it looks pretty good!
I agree with everything except for Yuvi's rating..
He deserves more than 6 for his comeback knock of 74 after his illness.
@Cric Sloggers,
Maybe I've been a little too gracious with MSD. However his changes impressed me much. His batting and his keeping has slipped, but I'm sure that's just a temporary lapse. We need MSD more now than ever with so many new faces.
@Maanav,
I would have given him that, had he not thrown away his wicket as he did.
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