India’s thrilling four-wicket win over West Indies in the final ODI at Cuttack saw Virat Kohli’s men come back from a 1-0 deficit to win the three-match series 2-1.
The series featured a number of good performances from both sides but in the end it was India who came out on top after what was a hard-fought seres.
Kohli’s side end the year ranked number one in Tests and second in ODIs, with the only regret being a World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand at Old Trafford in July.
Here are Cricketnext’s ratings of all the players who turned out for India in the series.
Rohit Sharma – 9/10
The ‘Hitman’ had a 2019 to remember and he was in his element during this series once again. He finished the series as the top run-scorer, amassing 258 runs in 3 innings.
He scored a well-made 159 during the second ODI at Visakhapatnam that went a long way in helping India keep the series alive and scored another half-century at Cuttack to end the year as the top run-scorer across formats.
KL Rahul – 8/10
Rahul has enjoyed an extended run on top of the order in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan and he showed why so many experts have rated him highly for years.
He only managed 6 in the first ODI at Chennai but followed that up with a ton in the second ODI and a half-century in the decider. Should he maintain his current run of form, Dhawan would find it hard to break into the team even when fit.
Virat Kohli – 5/10
Kohli’s consistency across formats is such that when he does have an off day – or in this case, two – it draws more attention than normal. This series was a rare low from a batting perspective for the Indian captain.
He managed only 4 & 0, respectively, in the first two ODIs before hitting a fluent 85 in the decider at Cuttack that set up India’s series win, showing once again just how adept he is in a run-chase.
Shreyas Iyer – 7/10
Shreyas has been hailed as the long-term solution to India’s number 4 problems and he proved that once again in this series, performing admirably in the role.
He scored 70 in India’s loss at Chennai before notching another half-century at Vizag and even had to bowl a bit. He could only add 7 to the total at Cuttack but his future in the side looks assured.
Rishabh Pant – 5/10
If his Delhi Capitals skipper’s future in the side looks secure, the same cannot be said about Pant, whose shaky run of form carried on in this series.
Pant was for the most part decent with the bat – he made 71 & 39, respectively, in the first two ODIs. However, he only managed 7 in the deciding ODI and also dropped three catches behind the stumps.
Kedar Jadhav – 5/10
This series saw the 34-year old Jadhav make a comeback into the ODI side after a brief injury hiatus but it was a largely forgettable series for him.
Usually someone who can deliver with both bat and ball, he did okay with the bat – scoring 40 and 16* in the first two ODIs but falling for 9 in the final ODI. However, he only bowled one over in the series and that too went for 11 runs,
Ravindra Jadeja – 6.5/10
Jadeja might have been described as a ‘bits and pieces cricketer’ by Sanjay Manjrekar earlier this year but the 31-year old has shown in recent times that he is more than just a cricketer who can do a bit with both bat and ball.
His all-round prowess kept Yuzvendra Chahal out of the team during the series and he repaid the faith shown in him – he took two wickets in the second ODI that India won and made a handy 39* in the decider, besides being his usual impressive self on the field.
Shivam Dube – 4/10
The 26-year old all-rounder had shown some promise during the T20I series against West Indies but only played the first ODI and was dropped after what was a forgettable outing in Chennai.
He could only score 9 runs in that game and his bowling figures too didn’t make for good reading: 0-68 in 7.5 overs at an economy rate of 8.68.
Kuldeep Yadav – 5/10
2019 has been a forgettable year for Kuldeep but he showed glimpses of the wicket-taking bowler he can be during the second ODI against West Indies when he became the first Indian to take 2 international hat-tricks.
However, the fact that he went wicket-less and also conceded more than a few runs in the series will remain a cause for concern and is proof that the Chinaman bowler is still some way off getting back to his best.
Mohammed Shami – 6.5/10
Shami was the pick of the Indian seamers in the series and finished with 5 wickets. He got just one wicket in both the first and third ODI but his 3-39 in the second ODI was vital to India’s eventual win.
The only concern for the 29-year old was that he conceded a few runs too many – he went for 57 runs at Chennai and 66 runs in Cuttack.
Deepak Chahar – 5.5/10
Chahar had only played a single ODI prior to this series and his performances in the first two matches of this series left a lot to be desired.
While he was economical in both matches, the fact that he could only take one wicket will have disappointed him. He was ruled out of the final ODI due to a back injury.
Shardul Thakur – 5/10
When Bhuvneshwar was ruled out of the series before it even began with a groin injury, Thakur was named as his replacement. However, the 26-year old didn’t do as much as he would have liked to ensure he got a longer run in the team.
He conceded 121 runs and took just 2 wickets in the two matches he played. That being said, his cameo with the bat at Cuttack was key in helping India put any nerves to bed in the final stages of the match.
Navdeep Saini – 7/10
He was brought in only as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chahar but he made a positive mark in the final ODI of the series when handed his 50-over debut.
Saini bowled with pace and accuracy to remove both Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase and was economical until the final two overs saw him concede 30 runs. However, the Delhi pacer showed he remains one to watch.