By ICF Staff
April 18 2005

Another disappointing One-day series for Indian Cricket Team. India started off brilliantly by winning first two games of the series but couldn't match Pakistan's intensity in last 4 games of the series. India were out-bowled, out-batted, out-fielded, and out-coached by a strong Pakistani side.

Here are the indiviudal players grade

 

Virendar Sehwag (Strike-rate: 113.27)

Serial rating: 6/10

Sehwag got Indian campaign off to a flying start in this tournament. His aggressive century in first game and a blistering half-century in second game set the platform for Indian victories. His failure to produce similar brilliance in last 4 games cost India the series. New coach must address India’s over-reliance on Sehwag pronto. Surprisingly, India’s craftiest part-time spinner was under-used as bowler. Room for improvement: Need to be patient when India is batting 2^nd and chasing huge totals.

 

 

Sachin Tendulkar (7 wickets @ 28; Highest score: 123)

Series rating: 5/10

Mixed series for Sachin Tendulkar. He scored a flawless century in game 4 of the series but failed to get into double figures in other 5 games of the series. He struggled to pick up the line of new white ball and had miserable time against Pak’s new ball bowlers.  He played the part of 5^th bowler bravely and even picked up a 5-wicket haul in first ODI of the series. Room for improvement: Must give-up his opening spot and move to middle order.

 

 

MS Dhoni (Batting average: 43.50; Strike-rate: 95)

Series rating: 7/10

Biggest positive from this series as far as India is concerned. He showed great maturity and much-needed aggression for a rookie playing his first big ODI series. His systematic demolition of Pakistan bowling attack in 2^nd ODI will give lot of hope to Indian cricket fans. His glove-work behind stumps was pretty good too. Room for improvement: Good runner between the wickets but needs to work on his calling to avoid unnecessary run-outs

 

Rahul Dravid (308 runs @ 51)

Series Rating: 7/10

Leading run-scorer from either side for this series. Dravid was the backbone of Indian batting and played several crucial knocks under pressure for India. His strike-rate of 80 was 10 points higher then his career strike-rate. Room for improvement: Needs to be flexible with batting order in next ODI series and work on his team-management skills.

 

 

Saurav Ganguly (31 runs @ strike-rate 48.43)

Series Rating: 0/10

Miserable series for Indian captain. He batted poorly and his defensive captaincy was the primary reason behind India’s failure to defend 315 runs in game 4 of the ODI. Ganguly’s career is at crossroads and he must be desperately hoping for one last chance from clueless Indian selectors to regain his place in side and respect of fans. Room for improvement: Must go back to nets and rediscover his batting touch.

 

 

Mohammad Kaif (126 runs @ 21; Highest score: 78)

Series Rating: 3/10

Typical Mohammad Kaif performance. One good knock under pressure in 5^th ODI and failure to produce the goods at number 7 position. Mohammad Kaif must be desperately hoping for a longer run higher up in the batting order. Kaif lived up to his reputation of world’s best ODI fielder. Room for improvement: Needs to work on his physical strength and gain some weight.

 

 

Yuvraj Singh (98 runs @ 19.60; 4 wickets @ 31)

Series Rating: 3/10

Another poor series for under-achiever Yuvraj Singh. He chipped in with couple of useful bowling contributions but was pretty inconsistent with bat. He needs to put a price on his wicket because without Ganguly’s backing, he will struggle to keep his place in ODI side. Room for improvement: Must hit the nets and fix his loose batting technique.

 

 

Harbhajan Singh (3 wickets @ 73.66; Economy rate: 4.80 RPO)

Series Rating: 5/10

Harbhajan Singh’s economy rate of 4.80 was only outdone by Pakistan’s Iftikhar Anjum (4.58). Harbhajan bowled well and kept rampaging Pakistani batsmen in check throughout the series. He varied his pace & line smartly and proved why Ganguly preferred him to Kumble in One-day side.

 

 

Zaheer Khan (6 Wickets @ 45.40; Economy rate: 5.40 RPO)

Series Rating: 5/10

India’s most impressive pacer for this ODI series. Indian seamers need to learn from Zaheer Khan who relied on variation, change of pace, bouncers, and Yorkers on unfriendly pitches. Also played a lovely cameo in game 2 to help India cross 350 mark in 2^nd ODI of the series. India should consider using him as pinch-hitter occasionally.

 

 

Balaji (3 wickets @ 55.66; Economy rate: 6.68)

Series rating: 2/10

Balaji failed to produce the goods in this one-day series. He couldn’t get the new white ball to swing and his radar was all over the place.

 

 

Ashish Nehra (11 wickets @ 27.09; Economy rate: 6.62)

Series Rating: 5/10

Ashish Nehra had a mixed series. He took important wickets but failed to keep the pressure on Pakistani batsmen due to poor line and length. He will have to work on his Economy rate to keep his place in One-day side.

 

 

Team India’s rating

 

Batting

5/10

Average series as far as batting is concerned. Indians were able to put up a good total in 3 of 4 games where they batted first but caved in pathetically on two occasions when asked to chase good Pak totals. Dhoni’s good batting at number 3 was negated by Sachin’s flop show at the top of the order. Kaif and Yuvraj’s inconsistency has hurt India’s middle order.

 

Bowling

3/10

Poor series for bowlers. With the exception of Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, most of regular bowlers just didn’t put any pressure on Pakistan’s strong batting line-up. Even Zaheer and Harbhajan Singh would like to see higher number in wickets column.

 

Fielding

6/10

Overall good fielding performance. Indian fielders took some outstanding catches but missed out on several run-out opportunities. Dhoni did a credible job behind stumps. New coach must get them to practice on direct hits to stumps.