Report Card: Hardik, Jadeja Shine as India Disappoint in Aus ODIs

Hardik Pandya flourished in his new role as batsman while a couple of others missed a golden chance to cash in.

KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja stand before the match. 

Image: Sydney Cricket Ground

The much talked about tour of Australia did not start the way India would have wanted, especially on the field of play in New South Wales. Was Rohit Sharma, whose injury made plenty of headlines in the build-up, a factor to India’s poor start? Maybe and maybe not, nonetheless, Virat Kohli and co will want to put the first part of the tour well behind them, especially the evenings at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where they conceded the ODI series in rather meek fashion.

India however did end the series on a high, as both teams rang in the changes and the visitors registered their first win of the tour in the third and final ODI. Hardik Pandya flourished in his new role as batsman only while a couple of others missed a golden chance to cash in.

Here’s a look at how India’s ODI Squad fared over the three games.

Shikhar Dhawan – 5/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 120, Avg: 40, 100s/50s: 0/1

Playing without his usual opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan was expected to take on responsibility and score big much like he had done in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. The southpaw started off well with a half century in the first game and was crucial to keeping India in the hunt but could not kick on from then on in.

Scores of 30 and 14 in the next two games did not help India’s cause as it put a lot of pressure on the middle order. Dhawan failed to live up to the usually high standards when India needed it the most and has a chance to fix things in the T20Is.

Mayank Agarwal – 2/10

Inns: 2, Runs: 50, Avg: 25, 100s/50s: 0/0

The opener, who has happy memories of his previous tour of Australia, had a golden chance to make his case for selection stronger. The need of the hour was to get India off to a good start in two mammoth and difficult chases but Mayank, who started fluently, threw it away on both occasions.

Once Rohit is back in the white-ball format, it might just be difficult for Mayank to find place in the squad. Even though he has played only 5 ODIs, he has only himself to blame for his poor showing. He scored 22 & 28 in the first two ODIs vs Australia for India.

Shubman Gill - 4/10

Inns: 1, Runs: 33, Avg: 33, 100s/50s: 0/0

The youngster has been waiting in the wings to make an impression and in what was only his third game in the format, he looked more comfortable than many of his other teammates.

At Canberra, Gill scored a very fluent 33 with a few elegant strokes which the skipper watched from the non-striker’s end. Gill has done no harm to his chances of getting more game time on this tour.

Virat Kohli - 6/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 173, Avg: 57.7, 100s/50s: 0/2

The Indian captain needed to have one of his better series. However, he did not start as well as he would have liked. Eager to take on the opposition right from the start, Kohli fell prey to Josh Hazlewood’s plans and could not build the big innings in any of the games. His 89 in the second ODI gave India some hope during the chase while his 63 in Canberra saw him make yet another record his.

A good start to his series might have resulted in a different scoreline for India.

Shreyas Iyer - 2/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 59, Avg: 19.6, 100s/50s: 0/0

Expected to be the solution at number 4 for India in white-ball cricket, Shreyas was handed a stern warning by some quality fast bowlers.

For the Mumbaikar there is plenty of work to do during the T20Is as the Australians will once again look to exploit his weakness against the short ball. Unless he can sort that out in his batting, it could be difficult to hold down his place in the side.

Up until the Australia series, Shreyas made his chances count and it is not likely that he is in danger immediately, but has his work cut out in the India colours.

KL Rahul - 4/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 93, Avg: 31, 100s/50s: 0/1

India’s new vice-captain had all the form and the attention coming into the series and said he was looking forward to delivering. That however didn’t happen as his only solid contribution came in the second ODI when he scored 76 to give India a glimmer of hope in a 390-run chase.

He scored 12 and 5 in the other two games which is very unlike the form he has been in since December 2019. One hopes this was only a blip and the form is back in the T20Is for India’s sake, especially since the management has just about settled on him as the man do the job with the big gloves as well.

Hardik Pandya - 9/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 210, Avg: 105, 100s/50s: 0/2, Wickets: 1

By far India’s best performer in the ODI series has been Hardik Pandya and with a little support, the series could have had another outcome. Playing international cricket for the first time since the ODI World Cup and in the role of a batsman only, Hardik finished as India’s top scorer and third overall, six runs behind Steve Smith.

He gave India hope of an improbable win in the first ODI and played a mature innings of 92* in the final game. The question was if he could fit in as a batsman only before the series, and he’s more than emphatically answered it.

Unfit to bowl, he still managed to roll over his arms in the second game and got the wicket of the menacing Steve Smith. India would have been in quite a bit of bother without Hardik.

Hardik Pandya applauds Ravindra Jadeja in the third ODI. Image: Hardik Pandya/Twitter

Ravindra Jadeja -6/10

Inns: 3, Runs: 115, Avg: 57.5, 100s/50s: 0/1, Wickets: 1

India’s third most prolific run scorer in the three ODIs had just way too much to do with the bat in the first two games but played a blinder in the final game to give his side the much needed push in the death overs. His unbeaten 66, part of a record 150-run sixth wicket partnership, was the reason India weren’t on the wrong end of a clean sweep.

However, Jadeja, like most of the bowlers, was quite expensive in all the three games. India needed wickets from him and he managed only one in the final game. A few scalps in the first two games might have changed things for India in the series. He’ll be keen to fix that bit in the T20Is as he continues to show that India are better off with him in the side.

Navdeep Saini - 2/10

Inns: 2, Overs: 17, Runs: 153, Econ: 9.0, Wickets: 1

Fast and accurate is what Saini was in the last series against New Zealand but that form deserted him in Australia, where the likes of Smith, Finch and Warner had him rattled. The youngster went for plenty of runs in both the games he played and will want to forget the hammering very quickly. Otherwise his tour could end up as a disaster.

Mohammed Shami - 5/10

Inns: 2, Overs: 19, Runs: 132, Econ: 6.94, Wickets: 4

The pace ace was expected to stop Australia from getting away early in the innings but like most of the bowlers had a torrid time and conceded quite a few runs.

Shami, who is usually very accurate with his line and length, was erratic in both the games allowing Australia’s already in-form top order to capitalise. However, without his wickets in the first game, one shudders to think where Australia would have finished.

Come the T20Is and the Tests, Shami will want to have his say in his own inimitable style and boy does India need that!

Jasprit Bumrah - 5/10

Inns: 3, Overs: 29.3, Runs: 195, Econ: 6.61, Wickets: 4

After his brilliant performance in the IPL, Bumrah was expected to be at his sharpest against Australia but unfortunately that did not happen and he struggled in the powerplays, which hurt India a lot!

Bumrah conceded more than 70 in the games in Sydney which allowed Australia to get away and put plenty of pressure on the rest of the bowlers. Bumrah has not done well in ODIs in 2020 and that has seen India’s performances dip too. Come the T20Is, Bumrah and India will hope the IPL form returns.

Yuzvendra Chahal - 2/10

Inns: 2, Overs: 19, Runs: 160, Econ: 8.42, Wickets: 1

Chahal came into the series as one of the premier wicket taking options for Kohli and India, especially given his good showing last time in Australia as well. However, he was a far cry from his usual self and went on to concede the most runs ever by an Indian spinner in the first ODI when he finished with figures off 1/89.

Chahal’s confidence would have taken quite a beating when he was dropped for the final game for an out of sorts Kuldeep Yadav.

While his place is not in danger, Chahal needs to return to wicket taking ways quickly for his and India’s sake.

Kuldeep Yadav - 6/10

Inns: 1, Overs: 10, Runs: 57, Econ: 5.7, Wickets: 1

The left arm spinner had been woefully out of form before the Australia series and wasn’t expected to feature. Chahal’s poor form saw him drafted in for the final ODI where he bowled with control.

Kuldeep’s efforts were rewarded with the wicket of Cameron Green just as Australia were looking to turn it around. It would have done his confidence a world of good for sure and could just be the catalyst to turn things around.

Kuldeep and Chahal have often formed a pair that has terrorised batsmen and returning to similar form will give India a happy selection headache.

T Natarajan - 6/10

Inns: 1, Overs: 10, Runs: 70, Econ: 7, Wickets: 2

For the left arm pacer, it has been quite the story. From the TNPL to the IPL to the India squad, Natarajan has stuck to his strengths and shown great character in tough times.

On his debut in Canberra too, he repaid the faith shown in him with some good bowling early on and in the death. He removed Marnus Labuschagne to peg back the hosts and then dismissed Ashton Agar to help India over the line.

Natarajan's ability to come back and take Agar's wicket after being thrashed by Glenn Maxwell earned him high praise from teammates and experts.

Shardul Thakur - 7/10

Inns: 1, Overs: 10, Runs: 51, Econ: 5.1, Wickets: 3

In and out of the India XI, Shardul responded to his captain’s call with aplomb in Canberra. Defending 303 against a team that almost touched 400 in the first two games, Shardul’s biggest contribution was removing Steve Smith for 7. He added the scalp of Moises Henriques soon after to set India on their way to a win.

The pacer came back to clean up Sean Abbott in his final spell, which is probably his last act on the tour unless he is asked to stay back for the T20Is and Tests.