Team India won the Nidahas Trophy 2018 in style with Dinesh Karthik hitting a six off the last ball to win the match against Bangladesh.
Team India had lost the first match against hosts Sri Lanka, but after that setback, India dominated the rest of the series and rested only after winning the tournament. It was a total team effort from India, as the bowlers paved way for the batsmen to win matches and vice versa.
After this exciting win, COC presents the player ratings for Team India for the Nidahas Tri-series 2018.
Here are the ratings:
SHIKHAR DHAWAN – 8/10
198 runs with best of 90 and strike rate of 145.58
Shikhar Dhawan was brilliant in the tournament, often giving India the quickfire start it needed in the first six overs. His best score of 90, which is also his highest score in T20Is for India, came in a loss against Sri Lanka, but Dhawan continued bashing the bowlers, often taking pressure off Rohit Sharma. He scored 2 half-centuries in the tournament.
ROHIT SHARMA - 8/10
173 runs with best of 89 and strike rate of 136.22
Rohit Sharma led from the front in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 with 173 runs and a best of 89 coming against Bangladesh. Rohit hit two half-centuries in the tournament, with one coming in the finals. He was also brilliant with his field placing and bowling changes. His biggest move was to open with Washington Sundar, giving the 18-year-old full support in the power plays.
SURESH RAINA - 6/10
103 runs with best of 47
Suresh Raina scored 103 runs in the tournament with a best of 47, coming against Bangladesh in a match which India won and qualified for the finals. His bowling was used sparingly, but he was at the top of his game in the field.
MANISH PANDEY- 7/10
134 runs with a best of 42* and an average of 67.00
Manish Pandey scored 134 runs with a best of 42* and more or less cemented his place in the Indian middle order. He was accused of batting slowly in the first match that India played in the tournament, but then came into his own against Sri Lanka in the second round of matches, as he spearheaded the chase of 153 runs, sublimely taking India to the win.
KL RAHUL- 5/10
42 runs in 3 matches
KL Rahul got to bat in two innings in the three matches he played. Rahul scored 42 runs with a best of 24 runs against Sri Lanka. However, his promising innings ended when he became the first Indian batsman to get dismissed hit-wicket. Rahul also wasted the chance in the finals, when he went for a wild slog.
VIJAY SHANKAR- 6/10
17 runs and 3 wickets and a Man of the match award
Vijay Shankar got the Man of the match award in only his second T20I match. He took 2/32 against Bangladesh to limit them to 139. Shankar showed promise in absence of Hardik Pandya as he bowled with control more often than not.
However, he crumbled under pressure in the finals and if it was not for Dinesh Karthik and his brilliance, he would not have been pardoned for his innings.
RISHABH PANT- 3/10
30 runs in 2 matches
Rishabh Pant got the first chance in the playing XI initially and managed to score 30 runs in 2 matches. His best of 23 was a scratchy effort in the loss which dented his reputation as a finisher and big hitter of the ball.
DINESH KARTHIK- 9/10
85 runs and Man of the final award
Dinesh Karthik finally got the time to shine as MS Dhoni was rested for this tri-series. Karthik grabbed the opportunity and showed that he had become a finisher par excellence. In the last eight T20s, he has played, Karthik has a strike-rate in excess of 150 and he has been dismissed only once. His last innings of 29* which helped India win the finals was an example of how he is ready to take over from Dhoni as the finisher of the Indian team, full time.
WASHINGTON SUNDAR- 10/10
8 wickets with a best of 3/22, economy of 5.70 and Man of the series award
18-year-old Washington Sundar was entrusted with the task of bowling finger spin in the power plays by Rohit Sharma, despite the evidence of wrist spinners faring better in such scenarios. However, Sundar was the perfect candidate for the role, as he has experience of doing so in the IPL, the TNPL and for Tamil Nadu in the domestic T20 league.
He returned with 8 wickets to his name, but the most shocking part was his economy, which never crossed 6 runs per over. He proved that finger spinners still have a place in T20 cricket and that he is the future of the Indian team in the shortest format.
YUZVENDRA CHAHAL- 9/10
8 wickets with a best of 3/18 and economy of 6.45
Yuzvendra Chahal played the role of the senior spinner in this tournament and essayed that role perfectly with 8 wickets to his name with a best of 3/18 and economy of 6.45. He managed to overcome the problem of bowling with a wet ball, something that plagued him during the South Africa tour and took control of the match whenever he had the ball in the hand.
MOHAMMED SIRAJ- 2/10
Best of 1/50 in one match
Mohammed Siraj finally got to play a match for India and again went for 50 runs in his 4 overs despite picking up a wicket. He is the only bowler to give away 50 or more runs in two matches, after his debut against New Zealand, where he went for 53 runs. This has shown that Siraj still needs to spend time in domestic cricket for a few more years to end as a finished product.
SHARDUL THAKUR- 6/10
6 wickets with best of 4/27
Shardul Thakur was the main bowler for India in this tri-series, thanks to his showing in South Africa and he picked 6 wickets in the tournament with a best of 4/27. But his economy of over 9 runs per over is something he needs to work on, as he was taken for runs in rest of the matches.
JAYDEV UNADKAT- 7/10
7 wickets with best of 3/38
Jaydev Unadkat did the job in this tri-series what Bhuvneshwar Kumar does for India regularly. Bowl tight lines, not give away runs at the start of the innings and finish strongly at the end. Unadkat picked 7 wickets with a best of 3/38. He went for runs with the new ball everytime, but came back strongly with the old ball.
However, an economy of 9.92 runs per over might be a bit of concern and something he needs to work on.
