Team India Report Card: One-off test against Afghanistan

Afghanistan's poor batting unit was exploited as Team India registered their biggest triumph in test match cricket a few days earlier in Bangalore. Apart from the final session on Day 1, wherein India lost 4 crucial wickets, there was nothing the hosts did wrong.

In contrary, it was a debut to forget for Afghanistan. After being smashed all around the park on Day 1, and Day 2 (Hardik Pandya) to an extent as well, they were humiliated by the Indian bowlers, as they were all-out twice on the same day. Howbeit, Asghar Stanikzai, and his men would've learned a lot from this very first experience of theirs in the longest format of the game.

Anyway, in this article, I take a look at the performances of the Indian players in this historic test match and accordingly give them their respective marks as well.

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#1 - Shikhar Dhawan

Didn't anybody tell him that the IPL has ended? 107 runs off 96 balls, at a strike-rate of 111.46. Yes, you read it right. A strike-rate of 111.46 in test cricket. He also became the first Indian to score a century before lunch on Day 1 of a test cricket, and overall fifth in the history. There was nothing the left-hander did wrong, and that's why he gets a full 10/10 rating from my side!

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 #2 - Murali Vijay

Undoubtedly India's best opener in test match cricket at present, Murali Vijay too gets a 10/10 rating. He struggled early on, but then adapted to the conditions very well and paced his innings to perfection. For sure will be Team India's first choice opener when they will tour England next month!

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#3 - KL Rahul

Rahul was well on his way to a century as well, but he carelessly threw away his wicket to Yamin Ahmedzai, trying to cut away a ball which was a little too close to his body. For not converting his magnificent half-century into a century, or maybe even more, Kamaal Lajawaab Rahul gets 8/10.

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#4 - Cheteshwar Pujara

It was a below-par performance from Cheteshwar Pujara, at least by his standards. He never looked very comfortable against the spinners and lost his wicket in the same process, gifting Mujeeb Zadran his first scalp in test match cricket. For scoring just 35 runs in 52 balls, Cheteshwar Pujara manages to get 6/10 from me.

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#5 - Ajinkya Rahane

Many people had high expectations from India's stand-in skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, going into this test match. However, just like Pujara, it was a below-par performance from Rahane as well, as he managed to score just 10 runs in 45 balls before falling to the 19-year-old sensation, Rashid Khan. I'd give him 4/10 this time.

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#6 - Dinesh Karthik 

Dinesh Karthik was perhaps the unluckiest player of the match, as he lost his wicket in the most horrible fashion, following a terrible mix-up with Hardik Pandya. What adds more to the sorrow is that Karthik had got a chance in the India test XI after 8 long years! DK gets 7/10 from my side.

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#7 - Hardik Pandya

If there is one thing that one can complain about Hardik Pandya's show in the game, it has to be his seventh stump bowling. Even the inexperienced Afghani batsmen were more than happy to see the ball go through to the keeper. While it came to batting, Pandya was spot on, as he notched up his third test fifty. A rating of 9/10 seems to be ideal for the all-rounder. 

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#8 - Ravichandran Ashwin

Even though he failed to contribute a lot with the bat, Ravichandran Ashwin didn't fail to dazzle with the ball, as he spun a web around the Afghanistani batsmen. His dismissal of Asghar Stanikzai in the first innings is stuff legends are made up of. Pitching outside off and drifting in, the Afghanistani skipper had no idea of what to do. This was the perfect reply to Stanikzai's comment - that his spinners were better than India's. I'd give Ashwin 8.5/10.

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#9 - Ravindra Jadeja 

A decent cameo of 20 runs with the bat, six wickets with the ball and some scorching display in the field, Ravindra Jadeja gets 9/10 as he proved that why he still remains to be one of the best when it comes to tests. He shall be an integral part of the team when India will tour England next month!

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#10 - Ishant Sharma 

Even though Ishant managed to pick up only four wickets, he consistently bowled at the perfect line and length throughout the match, to get a rating of 8/10 from my side. His first two wickets of Javed Ahmadi and Afsar Zazai were a fast bowler's delight, as the ball pitched outside off, came back in and sneaked through the gap between bat and pad to send the stump flying off.

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#11 - Umesh Yadav 

Umesh Yadav continued his good run of form as he bagged up 4 wickets in this match. While he looked slightly wayward in the first innings, Yadav hit the right line and length in the second and the result was three top-order batsmen in his bag. For his contribution with the bat towards the end of the Indian innings, I'd give Umesh a little more marks than Ishant Sharma - 8.5/10.

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Cheers,
Sparsh