The young foals of Indian cricket who were handed the torch for a ‘relatively easy’ tri-series failed miserably on many fronts in their 75% loss percentage and a wipeout by minnows Zimbabwe in both the matches. Zeecric.com brings you a report card of Suresh Raina led Men in Blue:
Suresh Raina (3/10): The stand-in captain had the task of leading from the front and he could not do justice to the job. His willow could not find the sweet spot and his tactics were not up there with the top teams of international cricket.
Virat Kohli (7/10): The stand in deputy for the vice-captain spot, he was somehow able to save his face when almost everyone around him tumbled like a pack of cards. He tried but due to lack of quality pitches to hone his skills back home, he could not turn efforts into match winners.
Rohit Sharma (9/10): The most successful Indian bat in the series, Rohit came true to his nature as a dependable batsman. If he can work a bit more on his temperament, he is bound to be a vital cog in the 2011 World Cup squad.
Ashok Dinda (4/10): The youngster had come into the squad riding from a goof IPL season and, sadly, he too could not raise the bar of his game. Ordinary during the entire course of the series, he had a very miniscule number of good flashes to mention.
Ravindra Jadeja (8/10): He had a decent all round show on the field, scoring two well crafted half centuries. His timing was right with the willow and he took crucial wickets. The selectors would take heart from his performance.
Dinesh Karthik (4/10): Despite being given ample opportunities, he has not been able to blossom into a seasoned asset to the team, specially on tours abroad when his role as the wicket-keeper batsman can be the most vital factor in a win or a loss.
Ravichandran Ashwin (5/10): The rookie had an ordinary showing, failing to shine in the only game given to him in the tourney.
Yusuf Pathan (2/10): He went into the tournament with the reputation of being the most dangerous hitter on the field and he yet again failed to fire. A liability in the fielding department, and spineless bowling have seriously cast doubts over his future in the team.
Pragyan Ojha (5/10): He took four wickets at an average of 30.5 from the three matches that he played. Not anything to write home about considering that he had given the best batsmen in the circuit a hard time during the domestic IPL tournament.
First Published: Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 00:00
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
