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India's fourth bilateral ODI series win at home by a 5-0 margin should be seen through the lens of the team's defence of the ICC World Cup next year, in specific the roles given to players either just finding their feet in international cricket or returning from injury or filling in for first-choice names. 
 
Make no mistake - Sri Lanka were very poor in the series, their bowlers in particular lining up as fodder for India's batsmen on mostly docile surfaces, and their batsmen, barring <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/angelo-mathews/9001/9058">Angelo Mathews</a> and to a lesser extent <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mahela-jayawardene/9001/9003">Mahela Jayawardene</a>, massively under-performing. But in a World Cup season it is encouraging to see an experimental Indian side finish the job they started without losing much intensity. 
 
Through the series, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/virat-kohli/4001/25007">Virat Kohli</a> spoke of taking each game of this series as a stepping stone towards the 2015 ICC World Cup, particularly in testing out players in different roles to give them the confidence that they are wholly supported with an eye on next year’s big prize. He spoke of the team taking each match as a knock-out, and of learning to be "ruthless" to close out matches. 
 
Sample the margins of victory: by 169 runs, six wickets with 33 balls remaining, six wickets with 35 balls remaining, 153 runs and three wickets with eight balls on Sunday in Ranchi. Four big wins, fashioned by performances from individuals and collectively against a side that looked disgruntled from the time it departed from Colombo following West Indies' abrupt pull-out. The one match in which the batting didn’t click as a unit, Kohli stepped up with one of his finest centuries in a chase. Where his team-mates failed to be ruthless, Kohli was. 
 
The 26-year-old, leading India in MS Dhoni's absence, did his job well. The decision to take the batting Powerplay in the 24th over during the first ODI proved decisive, for it was in that five-over period that his team took the match away from Sri Lanka. He backed <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/akshar-patel/4001/31051">Akshar Patel</a> to bowl during the mandatory and batting Powerplays and this was a huge factor in the series win, and backed his rookie spinner with the right fields. Kohli also ensured <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ambati-rayudu/4001/31025">Ambati Rayudu</a> a spot at the World Cup by sending him in at No 3 in Ahmedabad, where the 29-year-old scored his maiden ODI century. 
 
Apart from his dynamic captaincy, Kohli also had a solid series with the bat, scoring 277 runs at an average of 69.25 with two fifties and a superb century to almost single-handedly chase 287 in the final game. Kohli's emphatic celebrations at hitting the winning six, with eight balls and three wickets left in Ranchi, and then as he acknowledged the crowd after picking up a stump, were stirring. Such form will, at the very least, send him to Australia with some confidence. 
 
India’s other main batsmen all scored runs, too. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/shikhar-dhawan/4001/28004">Shikhar Dhawan</a> reeled off 283 in three innings before he was rested. Rayudu's four innings at No 3 produced 223 runs while <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/rohit-sharma/4001/4095">Rohit Sharma</a>'s roaring comeback from injury with an astonishing 264 off 173 balls should earn him first dibs as opener alongside Dhawan in the World Cup ahead of <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ajinkya-rahane/4001/32045">Ajinkya Rahane</a>, who after stroking 111 in the series opener trailed off with scores of 8, 31, 28 and 2. The two wicketkeeper-batsmen tested in the series, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/wriddhiman-saha/4001/30016">Wriddhiman Saha</a> for three ODIs and <keyword id="6405247" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Robin-Uthappa">Robin Uthappa</keyword> for the last two, did not make strong statements to tilt the selectors’ votes either way for the World Cup. 
 
There were personal bests for a few players, of which five look certain for the World Cup. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ishant-sharma/4001/4094">Ishant Sharma</a> beat his previous best returns with 4/34 in Cuttack; Rayudu scored his first ODI century in the second ODI; Akshar (3/40) and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/umesh-yadav/4001/28013">Umesh Yadav</a> (4/53) achieved career-best bowling performances in Hyderabad; and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dhawal-kulkarni/4001/31006">Dhawal Kulkarni</a> smoothed over a shoddy outing in that match by taking 4/34 in the Kolkata drubbing. Rohit marked his first ODI in three months by scoring the highest individual innings in ODI history at Eden Gardens. 
 Rohit's freak innings aside, the big gains were the bowling of Akshar and the fact that Umesh, on the comeback from an injury break, did not break down or pick up a niggle. The rise of 20-year-old allrounder Akshar has been the story of the series. His left-arm spin accounted for 11 wickets in five matches, at an <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> rate of 4.61, and it was his bowling in the batting Powerplay all series that was instrumental in India’s 5-0 result. Akshar was unfortunate not be named Man of the Match in Hyderabad, where his 3/11 during the batting Powerplay sealed the series for India. 
 
Akshar controls the percentage shots and that ability resulted in some big wickets, and the manner in which he lands the ball outside off stump to bring out loose shots is a trait that could be very handy in Australia. Twenty20 cricket has forced spinners to experiment and Akshar is one of the best examples of how this can have a positive spin - no pun intended - because he varies his flight and pace without compromising too much on his length. He conceded over 40 just twice - at Eden Gardens where he conceded 51 in 43 balls and in Ranchi, where in the 48th of Sri Lanka's innings, Angelo Mathews swatted three sixes to give Akshar figures of 2/45 from his quota. His only two innings, at either ends of the series, were contrasting efforts that showed the value Akshar brings down the order: a four-ball 14 to get the total past 350 and 17 off 14 balls in match-clinching stand of 57 in 5.2 overs with Kohli. 
 
Akshar made rapid strides in the series, and the fact that <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ravindra-jadeja/4001/32004">Ravindra Jadeja</a> was benched for the Cuttack and Hyderabad ODIs and bowled well after Akshar in Hyderabad is testament to Kohli's line of thought that fringe players need to feel that they belong. 
 
Umesh was quick and lively in each outing and consistently delivered breakthroughs in his first spell in all four games he played - three times in the first over of Sri Lanka’s innings, getting <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kusal-perera/9001/52007">Kusal Perera</a> each time. He took at least two wickets in each match and finished with ten wickets at an economy of 5.07, and though he still has to work on conceding wides in the death overs, that Umesh hustled and troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen all throughout was encouraging. Considering Ishant injured himself in his return series, having Umesh fit and feisty is crucial to India in Australia. 
 
Ishant did not feature in the series after leaving the field following his four overs in Hyderabad, adding to the injury list that comprises <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/varun-aaron/4001/30019">Varun Aaron</a>, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mohammed-shami/4001/30030">Mohammed Shami</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mohit-sharma/4001/26024">Mohit Sharma</a>. These are the frontline bowlers India will hope to have available for the World Cup, along with the rested <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/bhuvneshwar-kumar/4001/25023">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</a>. 
 
Injuries to Ishant and Aaron - themselves called up in the absence of the injured Shami and Mohit - opened up chances for Kulkarni and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/stuart-binny/4001/31034">Stuart Binny</a> and both were decent without being threatening. Kulkarni does not have the pace to consistently worry batsmen and appears to be easily rattled, while Binny's medium pace does not look like getting him a berth in the World Cup squad considering that pace is a must in Australia and New Zealand. The only player blooded in the series who did not do anything was legspinner <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/karn-sharma/4001/27046">Karn Sharma</a>, who is part of the Test squad to play in Australia. 
 
All in all, a good workout for an experimental Indian side in these five ODIs but how much these matches actually matter will only be judged if these players step up in Australia.

Kohli's Well-Oiled India Achieve Series Goals

After loosing both games last season again Raina led Lions, what a way to comeback! That was some hitting from Lynn. 
 
Tweet Alert! 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> Match 3 - <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders">@KKRiders</a> 184/0 (14.5 ov) beat <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a> 183/4 by 10 wickets. <a href="https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir">@GautamGambhir</a> (76 off 48), <a href="https://twitter.com/lynny50">@lynny50</a> (93 off 41) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/IvvHOzM4TI">pic.twitter.com/IvvHOzM4TI</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/850400801843535876">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The big day is finally here. Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Knights?src=hash">#Knights</a> have prepared well &amp; are ready to take on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DusKiDahaad?src=hash">#DusKiDahaad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmiKKR?src=hash">#AmiKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/kLWj97647c">pic.twitter.com/kLWj97647c</a>
	— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/850197606428954625">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Captain <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SureshRaina?src=hash">#SureshRaina</a>​ was in full flow during the practice session. All geared up for our 1st match against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GameMaariChhe?src=hash">#GameMaariChhe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/qEU3weWMt7">pic.twitter.com/qEU3weWMt7</a> — The <keyword id="1641060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat-lions">Gujarat Lions</keyword> (@TheGujaratLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions/status/850264389978431490">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
 
Complete Squads 
 
<keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> 
 
Robin Uthappa(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), <keyword id="66306" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manish-Pandey">Manish Pandey</keyword>, Chris Lynn, <keyword id="18938" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yusuf-Pathan">Yusuf Pathan</keyword>, Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Woakes, <keyword id="793467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunil-Narine">Sunil Narine</keyword>, Piyush Chawla, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Yadav, <keyword id="6382259" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andre-Russell">Andre Russell</keyword>, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Ankit Rajpoot, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Darren Bravo, Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Ghosh, Ramsingh Sanjay Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme 
 
Gujarat Lions 
 
Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina(c), Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik(w), Ishan Kishan, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Koushik, Shadab Bashir Jakati, Nathu Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Andrew Tye, Ravindra Jadeja, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Jason Roy, Munaf Patel, Chirag Suri, Akshdeep Nath, Basil Thampi, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya 
 
(<a href="http://oddreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/3454768.jpg">Image Source</a>)

LIVE IPL 2017, Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders: The opening pair of Kolkata just finished Gujarat

Everything comes at a price even cricket players. Indian Premier League (IPL) season kicked-off amid glitzy ceremony and eight teams will be contesting with each other to win the coveted trophy. 
 
Preparations for the IPL extravaganza had begun long time back with auction of cricketers from India and across the world (minus Pakistan). 
 Owners of the eight teams- Delhi Daredevils, <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword>, Kings XI Punjab, <keyword id="1494441" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunrisers-Hyderabad">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword>, <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions- retained and even poached players from other teams by bidding a higher amount. 
 
The bidding process threw many surprises as players like Nathu Singh were netted for Rs 3.2 crore. Even M Ashwin was auctioned for Rs 4.5 crore from previous Rs 10 lakh. 
 
Here is a complete list of players who were auctioned for crore of rupees, taking the whole cricket festival a notch higher 
 
 
 
Shane Watson- Rs 9.50 crore 
 
Kane Richardson-Rs 2 crore 
 
Stuart Binny-Rs 2 crore 
 
Jaydev Unadkat- Rs 1.60 crore 
 
John Hastings-Rs 1.30 crore 
 
Mohit Sharma-Rs 6.50 crore 
 
Kyle Abbot- Rs 2.10 crore 
 
Pawan Negi-Rs 8.50 crore 
 
Chris Morris-Rs 7 crore 
 
Carlos Brathwaite- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Sanju Samson- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Karun Nair- Rs 4 crore 
 
Rishabh Pant- Rs 1.90 crore 
 
Jos Buttler- Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Nathu Singh- Rs 3.20 crore 
 
Tim Southee- Rs 2.50 crore 
 
Krunal Pandya- Rs 2 crore 
 
Kishore Kamath- Rs 1.40 crore 
 
Yuvraj Singh- Rs 7 crore 
 
Ashish Nehra- Rs 5.50 crore 
 
Deepak Hooda- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Barinder Sran- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Aditya Tare- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Mitchell Marsh- Rs 4.80 crore 
 
Murugan Ashwin- Rs 4.50 crore 
 
Ishant Sharma-Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Kevin Pietersen- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Irfan Pathan- Rs 1 crore 
 
Thisara Perera-Rs 1 crore 
 
Aaron Finch- Rs 1 crore 
 
Praveen Kumar- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Dwayne Smith- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dale Steyn- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dinesh Karthik- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dhawal Kulkarni- Rs 2 crore 
 
Eklavya Dwivedi- Rs 1 crore 
 
(Images: Indiatimes)

Cricketers who turned millionaires, thanks to IPL-9

In the last league match of <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7, <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword> needed to chase 190 in 87 balls (14.3 overs) at a required rate of 13.2 per over to claim the fourth and final play-offs spot available. <keyword id="61632" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kieron-Pollard">Kieron Pollard</keyword> said during the mid-innings break that the home team would go all for for it, seeing as if they did not get those 190 runs in the required overs their tournament was over and <keyword id="13802" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rajasthan-Royals">Rajasthan Royals</keyword> would progress. What happened next was unbelievable, as Corey Anderson slammed an unbeaten 95 off just 44 balls and found support from Ambati Rayudu and Aditya Tare to seal a sensational five-wicket win. 

	Here, gocricket.com presents the big overs that made for a pulsating chase as MI took an impossible situation and turned it into a most memorable win.
 

	4th over: 19 runs

	Mumbai were 34 for 1 in three. They needed 156 from 69 balls. Anderson launched Dhawal Kulkarni into the sight screen first ball, then miscued one back to the bowler. A single got on strike Michael Hussey, who flicked six over square leg. A wide, double and triple made made it 19 off the over, leaving MI to score at 13 per over.
 9th over: 15 runs Thirty nine balls, 101 runs required. <keyword id="791756" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kevon-Cooper">Kevon Cooper</keyword>, who had dismissed Hussey and Kieron Pollard in his first over to set MI back, was taken for a tap. Anderson got four off the second ball, two off the third and six off the fourth. A big over to keep MI ticking. 10th over: 16 runs <keyword id="13937" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rohit-Sharma">Rohit Sharma</keyword> started the over by putting a full toss from Kulkarni away for four past fine leg, but fell on the second as he lofted to sweeper cover. A wide followed, then a dot ball which saw Kulkarni miss a chance to run out Ambati Rayudu. Anderson reached fifty off 25 balls by depositing the fourth ball over long-off for six. Rayudu smashed the final ball down the ground for four. MI needed 70 off 27 balls. 11th over: 19 runs With 70 needed off 27 balls, <keyword id="6378477" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Shane-Watson">Shane Watson</keyword> gave the ball to James Faulkner, normally his death-overs specialist. First ball, Anderson made room and drilled the ball straight back past the stumps for four. A double, single, wide, single followed. Back on strike for the fifth ball, Anderson swung it over long-on for six. The sixth was a yorker, jammed down to third man for four. Now 51 needed from 21. 

	12th over: 18 runs

	Watson, who conceded 15 off his first over, took the ball from Faulkner. It proved a bad move. Rayudu carved the first ball over third man, the second over extra cover, the third past mid-on. Three balls, three fours. A single, boundary and single followed. Now 33 needed from 15.
 

	15th over: 13 runs

	Mumbai managed 24 off the 13th and 14th over to leave the equation at nine off three balls. Watson entrusted Faulkner the duty. First ball, Anderson edged to third man for one. The second, criminally, was a leg-stump full toss. Rayudu swung it over long leg for six. Now two runs needed off one ball. Rayudu tried to cut a short-of-a-length ball but it lobbed to short extra cover, who underarmed the ball at the nonstriker's end but missed. Rayudu turned back for the second but was run out. He sank to his knees in despair, but within moments the umpires ruled that because the scores were tied, Mumbai could get their NRR over that of Rajasthan's if they hit the next ball for four. Faulkner, after several moments of discussions and strategies with the RR think-tank, sent down a second consecutive full toss outside leg stump. Aditya Tare swung it away for six over square leg to cue ecstatic scenes. The MI dugout was cleared, the fans went berserk, Tare raised his jersey over his head, football style, and ran around the field like a man possessed.

IPL: How MI Chased 190 In 88 Balls

For the umpteenth time, when asked about <keyword id="6354884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Delhi-Daredevils">Delhi Daredevils</keyword>' wretched season, Kevin Pietersen replied with his most sobering assessment of the worst team in the league. "We've tried a lot of things, nothing has gone according to plan. It's about executing your skills, which we haven't done well enough. No one's here to blame anyone. If you're good enough, you'll turn it around." 

	Had he replied in Gaelic, or spoken about the merits of the Bernoulli Equation, it would have had a similarly hollow tone. Those were the words of a beaten man, left to crinkle his nose at the stench of a rotting corpse of a side.
 

	Everything about Daredevils is in shambles. Their campaign began with Pietersen - acquired for Rs 9 crore - miss the initial few games due to injury. The player to get a look-in, Ross Taylor, struggled to dominate with the bat. In the midst of a poor start, Daredevils lost fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile to injury early in the season. Then went Saurabh Tiwary with a shoulder injury. Around this time, Daredevils released three uncapped players, one of which was batsman Milind Kumar, the distant but only local connect the franchise had. Whatever changes were made, results were not forthcoming. They have been poor with the bat, ball, in the field and in their thinking.
 Much has been written about the management holding back <keyword id="69475" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="JP-Duminy">JP Duminy</keyword> and Kedar Jadhav, the two batsmen with the highest averages and strike-rates this season, and how denying them more deliveries to face has resulted in sub-standard totals. Daredevils' problems are deeper than that. They just aren't ticking. Thursday's match in Ahmedabad against Rajasthan Royals cannot be termed a contest. It was an embarrassment. Pietersen's decision to field came a cropper as RR piled up their highest total this season, 201 for 6, to which Daredevils replied with 139 for 9, losing half their wickets inside ten overs. With qualification for the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7 play-offs out of the question, you could have expected DD to make a statement, play with some freedom and express themselves. It didn't happen. What panned out was a yawn-inducing mismatch. <keyword id="172496" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rahul-Shukla">Rahul Shukla</keyword>, after going for 41 in the previous match, conceded 44 from his four. Siddarth Kaul went for 34 in three. Manoj Tiwary, who rarely bowls, conceded 28 in his two overs, one of which was the 19th of RR's innings that cost 17. On the same track on which Ajinkya Rahane cruised, Kevon Cooper teased, Sanju Samson belted 40 off 25 and James Faulkner finished with 23 off eight balls, Daredevils made 139 for 9. Only one batsman crossed 17; six made single-digit scores. Daredevils' entire season has been a colossal waste of batting talent, with <keyword id="6355316" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Dinesh-Karthik">Dinesh Karthik</keyword> (the second most expensive purchase of the IPL auction at Rs 12.5 crores) repeatedly falling to leg-side heaves regardless of the match situation, an IPL pro in <keyword id="57265" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Murali-Vijay">Murali Vijay</keyword> failing to make an impact, Pietersen not playing a single convincing innings and the domestic pool not stepping up, barring Jadhav. 

	Compare this to RR's success. Rahane has 316 runs this season, which is more than Pietersen, Taylor and Mayank Agarwal have managed. When you consider that Karun Nair, a rookie domestic batsman playing his first IPL, has scored significantly more than Pietersen, you get a sense of why Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the table.
 

	This is not to take away from how well Royals bowled. Dhawal Kulkarni was accurate and probing, Faulkner struck in the only over he bowled early on, Pravin Tambe dismissed the dangerous Duminy and Rajat Bhatia prised out two important wickets with his canny dibbly-dobblers. The sucker ball to get Taylor caught and bowled was a wicket Bhatia will cherish.
 With seven wins from 11 matches, Rajasthan remain at third on the points table and look poised to make it to the play-offs, which leaves <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>, Sunrisers Hyderabad and <keyword id="6354506" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Royal-Challengers-Bangalore">Royal Challengers Bangalore</keyword> in a three-way fight to take the last spot in the top four. Daredevils, like Mumbai Indians, have only pride to play for. But if they keep playing like they did against Royals, even that might be too much to expect.

IPL: Delhi Daredevils' Wretched Downward Spiral Continues

After an abysmal run in the 1-3 Test loss, the Indian team showed their true mettle in coloured clothing when they reversed the Test result, winning the rain-hit five-match ODI series 3-1. India's win in the ODI series against a side not known to be a force in the limited-overs encounter wasn't surprising given their superiority in the format. However, Twenty20 followers would feel that India's three-run loss against an eighth-ranked England side shouldn't be an ideal way to end a largely disappointing tour for India. 
 
Gocricket.com has analysed the individual performances of the Indian players in the five-match series and the one-off T20I. Here is the report card. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/rohit-sharma/4001/4095">Rohit Sharma</a>: 7/10 
 
Played responsibly in his only knock of the ODI series before injuring himself. One of the major positives in his 87-ball 52 at Cardiff was the restrained approach he showed while facing quality new-ball bowling. He was willing to bide his time in the middle and let a more enterprising partner, Ajinkya Rahane on this occasion, take charge. He was dismissed just before promising a bigger knock. A fit and in-form Rohit Sharma will auger well for Team India as the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup builds. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/shikhar-dhawan/4001/28004">Shikhar Dhawan</a>: 6/10 
 
His match-winning 97 not out looked the odd-one-out innings in the five matches he played (four ODIs, one T20I). More often than not, Dhawan repeated the same mistakes he made in the Tests – getting out to balls outside off stump and playing one shot too many after getting set. Dhawan was more looking to thump and muscle the ball instead of just timing it well. His unbeaten knock in the fourth ODI at Edgbaston showed why he is such a dangerous batsmen and oppositions will continue to target him. A player who <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/news/India-in-England-2014-Shikhar-Dhawan-Ajinkya-Rahane-camaraderie-augurs-well-for-India/articleshow/41610038.cms">feeds off success of another teammate</a>, Dhawan didn't make an effort to shield his weaknesses against the moving ball or his uncanny ability to gift wickets to non-threatening spin. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ajinkya-rahane/4001/32045">Ajinkya Rahane</a>: 8.5/10 
 
With 192 runs in four matches, Rahane was easily the batsman of the series. He showed that he has taken his limited-overs game up by leaps and bounds. Of course, the experience of doing well in the preceding Test series benefitted him. His maiden ODI ton, a classy 106 at Edgbaston, has given selectors the realistic option of using Rahane as a third opener in the 2015 World Cup <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/news/India-vs-England-2014-Ajinkya-Rahane-makes-amends-at-the-top/articleshow/41545757.cms">provided either Dhawan or Rohit fail</a>. India could have profited a lot more had he not fell after getting starts in his previous two knocks (a 47-ball 41 at No 4 and 56-ball 45 at No 1). 
 The fact that may go unnoticed is that he had the best strike rate among India's top-4 in the ODI series (93.8) and he hit six sixes in the four ODIs and one T20I, most by an Indian this series along with <keyword id="14587" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Suresh-Raina">Suresh Raina</keyword>. His fielding in the run saving positions was among the best one can see by an Indian in recent years, especially in the T20I where he took four catches. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/virat-kohli/4001/25007">Virat Kohli</a>: 3.5/10 
 Passing marks? Not quite. Indian <keyword id="1521" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cricket">cricket</keyword> lovers would groan at the prospect of waiting till the last match of a more than two-and-a-half month tour to see a Kohli fifty. After a forgettable Test run, Kohli was expected to do a lot better in the ODIs, which he didn't as his 54 runs in three innings would suggest. Seemed to have got close to hitting some form with a neat 50-ball 40 in the third ODI at Trent Bridge but his dismissal in the fifth ODI to <keyword id="80896" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="James-Anderson">James Anderson</keyword> made it evident that he is still coming to grips with 'how to play the moving ball outside off stump' syndrome. 
 
In the run-feast of the T20I, Kohli - India's most prolific limited-overs run scorer since the 2011 World Cup came into his own. Despite his 41-ball 66, he failed to take the team across the finish line, something which he is so used to doing in ODIs. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/suresh-raina/4001/4059">Suresh Raina</a>: 8.5/10 
 Perhaps the best thing to have happened to the Indian team after the Test debacle was Raina, who was back for the ODIs and firing in all cylinders. His counter-attacking 75-ball 100 at Cardiff, hailed by many as one of India's best-ever overseas knocks in ODIs, set the tone for the series as well as giving assurance and belief to India bowlers to do well. Raina's close catching, especially the sharp take to get rid of <keyword id="9234" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Alastair-Cook">Alastair Cook</keyword> at gully, was inspiring. His role as a senior player in the current side was visible during his movement inside the circle, his applause of a fielder and by speaking a word of encouragement to an inexperienced bowler. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/Raina-draws-attention-with-performance-and-infectious-energy/Joshua-Nath/columnshow/41694007.cms">Raina's synergy on the field was infectious</a>, which lifted the atmosphere of the team. Technically, he played the short ball well and didn't show a glaring weakness with the bat. His off spin was more than handy as he took four wickets, one in each ODI, at an economy rate of just over four-and-a-half (4.68). 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ms-dhoni/4001/4057">MS Dhoni</a>: 8/10 
 
Needless to say, most of Dhoni's points are for his captaincy. In the first three ODIs, his bowling changes, field positioning and his reading of the game was astute and he didn't look like a captain who had a terrible team performance in the three previous international outings. Acknowledged the areas his side needs to improve on, especially death-overs bowling that was highlighted in the loss at Leeds and in the T20I at Edgbaston. En route the 3-1 series win, he became India's most successful ODI skipper with 91 victories. 
 As a batsmen, his 52 at Cardiff was the perfect foil for a marauding Raina at the other end. After not being required to bat in the third and fourth ODIs, he missed out in the fifth ODI and his habit of taking the match till the end keeping the bulk of big-hitting to himself backfired in the lone T20I, which allowed the hosts to eke out a three-run win. Increasingly, Dhoni needs more performers like Raina, Rahane and <keyword id="479464" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhuvneshwar-Kumar">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</keyword>. Add to that an in-form Kohli, wicket-taking spinners and incisive new-ball bowlers and Dhoni has a team to beat in the 2015 World Cup. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ambati-rayudu/4001/31025">Ambati Rayudu</a>: 7.5/10 
 
Still isn't a finished product but made good use of the chances he got in the middle order - something that could would have been difficult to come by had Rohit not got injured. Rayudu scored fifties in each of the innings he got to bat in the ODIs, scoring 117 runs in all. Displayed a calm head on his shoulders at this level during his match-winning unbeaten 64 in the Trent Bridge ODI. While, two matches later, he frittered a brilliant chance to score a big one and threw his wicket away after getting to 53. Areas where he can improve – batting strike rate (81.81) and ground fielding, where he could be found a tad slow to move on the field. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ravindra-jadeja/4001/32004">Ravindra Jadeja</a>: 8/10 
 
Ravindra Jadeja the left-arm spinner was at his best in the ODIs. Barring the mauling he received from the hands of Joe Root in the final ODI at Leeds, Jadeja had excellent figures of seven for 106 at an economy rate of just under four in the ODIs. He was the chief benefactor of English batsmen trying to sweep and trying to hit out. As a batsmen, he did shine in a lone effort at Leeds - hitting a fighting 87 off 68 balls. Coming in at number seven and having a career-average of 35, in Jadeja, Dhoni has an able finisher, who comes under pressure of having to deliver each time. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ravichandran-ashwin/4001/26007">R Ashwin</a>: 7.5/10 
 
Led the slow-bowling attack well and revelled in the partnership with Jadeja against not the most adept players of spin. Ashwin's figures of three for 39 at Trent Bridge earned him the Man-of-the-Match award as he outfoxed the batsmen. Where every other bowler was being targeted by the English batsmen in the Leeds game, Ashwin put brakes on the scoring. He didn't try and overuse his variations. His seven wickets in four games at an average of 24 and an economy of less than 4.50 is encouraging for India. Ashwin needs to improve his ground fielding, running between the wickets and continue to take wickets in the middle overs in order to silence his detractors. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/bhuvneshwar-kumar/4001/25023">Bhuvneshwar Kumar</a>: 7.5/10 
 
The only Indian bowler to play all the Tests and ODIs on the tour, Bhuvneshwar is fast becoming Dhoni's go-to man. He troubled Alex Hales with an in-swinging ball and was hard to get away for the batsmen with the new ball. He commanded the respect of the England batsmen as he kept things tight and seldom wavered from the right channel – a series economy rate of 4.32 is testimony to that. After a long tour and a truckload of overs, this 24-year-old will welcome the month-long rest. He took five wickets for 134 runs in the four ODIs. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mohammed-shami/4001/30030">Mohammed Shami</a>: 8/10 
 
The most improved bowler since the Tests, Shami showed why he was touted as India's future strike-bowler when he made his Test debut last year. He felt at home playing the ODIs, ran in with a positive attitude and looked to take wickets at all times - something which wasn't quite visible in the Test series. His speeds were up there and he got the ball to move late. Shami was easily the best bowler in either side with eight wickets with a best of three for 28 at Edgbaston and a series average of a wicket every 19 runs and 24 balls. His economy rate too came down to 4.77 in the series, a marked improvement over his career record. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/mohit-sharma/4001/26024">Mohit Sharma</a>: 5/10 
 <keyword id="46772" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mohit-Sharma">Mohit Sharma</keyword> did well in the two ODIs he played but couldn't get a breakthrough as he gave away 35 runs in his nine overs before missing out on the final two matches due to injury. He got the ball to jag away from Cook and tied the opening batsmen down. Also, the Chennai Super Kings and Haryana medium-pacer got the odd ball to bounce more than expected. Mohit came back in the T20I but got hit for plenty as his death bowling skills were tested to the core while being pasted by Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara for 21 runs in an over in Edgbaston. The 24-year-old still needs to do more in order to give selectors the hint that he is one of India's fast bowling options. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/umesh-yadav/4001/28013">Umesh Yadav</a>: 3/10 
 
Umesh did little to stake claim in the ODI playing XI as was largely erratic in the one match he played, giving away 46 runs in his six overs. His only bright spot was the dismissal of Hales, beating him for pace on a short delivery. Pace is fine in the early 140s, but he needs to get the ball to move both ways to make an impact. And most importantly, he needs to hit the right line and length repeatedly. 
 
<a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/dhawal-kulkarni/4001/31006">Dhawal Kulkarni</a>: 3/10 
 
Some may argue that he got a raw deal after playing just one match, in which he went wicketless and didn't trouble the batsmen. His speeds were up there in the high 130 kmph and hit the 140 mark on more than couple of occasions. Uncertainty, although remains over whether he will be retained in the team for the series against West Indies.

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