2016 Player Ratings for India in ODIs

With the rather injudicious peppering of T20s in the international schedule, ODIs struggled to hold their own in 2016. Stuck between the resurging popularity of Tests and the ever-booming 20-overs, ODIs seem to be losing its relevance, highlighted by the fact that India played 21 T20s, but only 13 ODIs: winning seven out of those and losing the other six. A poor start to the year saw them lose three matches to Australia (which was negated by the T20I series win). The three ODIs in Zimbabwe were a breeze, while a topsy-turvy series against the Kiwis at home finished in the hosts’ favour.

Captain Dhoni, who has given up the longest format, continues to admirably manage his troops, but failed to fire with the bat. Here’s how the rest of the players performed:

Note: Only those players who featured in more than three matches have been considered.

Virat Kohli 9/10

Without a shade of doubt, 2016 has been the year of Kohli. He seems to have unlocked a different dimension to his batting, carting the bowlers all around the park with an authoritative gameplay that has bordered close to invincibility. It wasn’t just ODIs, he rocked in each of the three formats.

In 10 ODIs, he compiled 739 runs at an astounding average of 92.37, scoring as many as three centuries and four fifties. Rested for the series against Zimbabwe, he could have enhanced his record much further if he had featured in the three matches.

Rohit Sharma 8.5/10

Despite the fact that he had a below-par series against the Kiwis, Rohit Sharma still averaged 63 in ten ODIs for the Indian team. An injury in India’s final ODI series of the year proved costly for Rohit, who ended up being sidelined for the rest of the year.

He started off the year in blazing fashion, scoring an unbeaten 171 in the first match of the year against Australia, although the team ended on the losing side. In all, he made 564 runs, second only to Kohli for India.

Shikhar Dhawan 8/10

Rohit Sharma’s partner in crime at the top of the order, Dhawan slowly kept piling runs from the other end, without doing anything eye-catching, the same way he played second fiddle to David Warner throughout the IPL. He featured in just five matches, all in the Australian series, scoring two fifties and a 126 at Canberra.

Injury sidelined him for the series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Ajinkya Rahane 6.5/10

India’s go-to man in crisis, Rahane looked off-colour in the ODIs, especially in the series against New Zealand where he managed just one fifty-plus score in five matches, a poor outing considering his standards. Experts have pointed out that the constant shuffling in the order has resulted in Rahane losing his consistency, at least in limited overs.

In nine ODIs, Rahane managed 284 runs at an average of 35.50, with three fifties to his name.

MS Dhoni 7/10

Having given up the longest format, Dhoni seemed to be rusty throughout 2016, despite playing 13 ODIs and 21 T20Is wearing the blue. His bat failed to generate much fanfare, highlighted by the fact that he averaged 27.80 in ODIs, way below his career figures.

His wicketkeeping also suffered, although not entirely. He combined insane pieces of stumping and run-outs with substandard catching behind the stumps.

Manish Pandey 6.5/10

The first Indian to score a century in the IPL, Manish Pandey might have slipped under the radar ever since that eventful night in 2009, but has resurfaced again to be part of the limited overs side. He scored a scintillating hundred in January Down Under, but did little of note thereafter.

Apart from the unbeaten 104, Pandey could manage only 86 runs in the next seven innings, getting dismissed at crucial junctures with his poor shot selection. The massive dip in his graph, ever since the Sydney mayhem, can jeopardise his selection for the upcoming season.

All-rounders

Kedar Jadhav 7.5/10

Kedar Jadhav turned out to be India’s next golden arm, picking up wickets with his off-spin that was rarely heard of, even in the domestic circles. His dibbly-dobbly off spin was a welcome addition to his responsible knocks down the order, especially with the Indian team looking for a potential replacement once Dhoni walks away.

With the bat, however, Jadhav couldn’t live up to the hype, managing just 90 runs in four innings, with a high score of 41. The failures of Jadhav and Pandey down the order put added pressure on Dhoni.

Hardik Pandya 7/10

This year’s debutant, considered to be India’s brightest prospects in the all-rounder genre, blew more cold than hot, mixing impressive bowling spells with a roller-coaster batting performance in the two innings he got to play.

A shoulder fracture resulted in him playing just four matches throughout the year.

Axar Patel 7/10

The all-rounder still seems to be undercooked to match Ravindra Jadeja shoulder to shoulder, requiring polish on his batting skills. His bowling has improved a lot, as was on display in parts during the IPL this season, where he took a hat-trick as well.

Ravindra Jadeja 6/10

The Saurashtra-born player had a sleepy 2016 in ODIs, playing just five matches, scoring 45 runs and picking three wickets. He was rested for the New Zealand series along with Ravichandran Ashwin, giving the opportunity to Axar Patel, his like-for-like replacement.

Bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah 9/10

The right-arm pacer has been the find of the season for India. His awkward, high arm action creates doubt in the batsman’s mind, and his super accurate yorkers are right on target, whenever required.

Dhoni used Bumrah cleverly, holding him up for the final overs, where his slower and fuller deliveries hardly gave the batsmen the space to make runs. In 8 matches, he picked up 17 wickets, ending as India’s highest wicket-taker.

Amit Mishra 8.5/10

Yuzvendra Chahal’s inclusion in the Zimbabwe series must have been a jolt for Mishra, who has been trying for a permanent spot in the ODI side since 2002. He became the slowest to reach the 50-wicket mark in ODIs, but looks destined for a lot more if he continues to bowl with the same zest that he did in the series against the Kiwis.

In the last match, his five wicket haul helped India clinch the series, catapulting him to second spot in the list of India’s best bowlers in ODIs this year, with an impressive 15 wickets in five matches.

Umesh Yadav 7.5/10

The reason for Martin Guptill’s troubled stay in India, Umesh Yadav, although inconsistent, provided India breakthroughs in the initial overs with his brisk pace and movement. Surprisingly or not, he has been India’s most successful pacer in ODIs since the World Cup in 2015.

With 15 wickets in 10 games, he would have wanted more scalps next to his name, especially with the added responsibility in the absence of the Chikungunya-hit Ishant Sharma.

Ishant Sharma 7.5/10

Despite playing just four matches, Ishant was India’s fourth highest wicket taker in ODIs in 2016, picking up nine wickets at an average of 27.77, including best figures of 4-77. A bout of Chikungunya brought a halt to what looked like a promising start to the season.

Barinder Sran 7.5/10

The left arm speedster is a tricky customer for right handed batsmen, swinging the ball in to cram them, providing very little width. Also available in his arsenal is the slower ball, as well as the yorker that he employs judiciously. The only concern with Sran is that he loses his radar often, spraying the ball left and right of the stumps when the rhythm is not spot-on.

He was selected for the Zimbabwe tour, and played a total of six ODIs this year, picking up seven wickets with best figures of 3-56.

Dhawal Kulkarni 7/10

Part of a new-look pace combination that was tested in Zimbabwe, Kulkarni came back into the side on the back of a solid season for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL this year. Not someone who boasts of express pace, Kulkarni makes it up with subtle away swing with the new ball and the ability to deliver on the same lengths consistently.

He picked up six wickets in four matches, but was sidelined once the first-choice bowlers made their way back in the side.