2018 Player Ratings for India in ODIs

India's ODI performance in 2018 was outstanding as they emerged as the best team in terms of winning percentage. The Men in Blue won 75% of the ODI matches they played. This is the highest by any team in 2018. Also, India's winning percentage of 73.33% in overseas ODIs was again the best by any team in 2018.

Men in Blue started their ODI cricket calendar with a hat-trick of wins against South Africa at home and ended the 6 match series with a 5-1 victory. Up next, India locked horns with England in July where the lost the three-match series even after winning the first match by eight wickets. This was the only ODI series India lost in 2018.

The biggest achievement in 2018 for India in ODIs was the Asia Cup triumph. Captained by Rohit Sharma in the tournament, India played six matches and won five while one game against Afghanistan ended in a tie. Team India played their last ODI series against West Indies in which they defeated the Caribbean team 3-1.

As many as 25 players featured for India in ODIs in 2018. Out of them, only Dhoni played all the 20 ODIs that India played in 2018. As 2018 has ended, here is an attempt to rate the players based on their performances and contributions in one of India's most successful cricketing year.

NOTE: Only players with 10 or more matches have been considered in this rating list.

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#1 Rohit Sharma- 8/10

Rohit Sharma is the second most successful batsman for India in 2018

Matches- 19, Runs- 1030, Average- 73.57, 100s- 5, 50s- 3, HS- 162

Rohit Sharma started 2018 at a low in South Africa where even after century he could only manage 170 runs in 6 matches at an average of 28.33. Again in England, he only performed well in the first match where he made an unbeaten 137.

It was the Asia Cup where he finally came out all guns blazing and ended up scoring 317 runs in five matches which included two half-centuries and a century.

In the last bilateral series of 2018, the Indian opener scored 389 runs which included two 150+ scores and a half-century at an impressive average of 97.25. His best for the year (162 runs) came in this series against Windies.

All-in-all, the Hitman's performance in 2018 was second best for India in terms of runs and also in world cricket. Sharma scored at an average of 73.57 and that too with an extremely impressive strike rate of 100+ in 2018 which is good for India as World Cup inches closer.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan- 7/10

Shikhar Dhawan is another lifeline for India in ODIs

Matches- 19, Runs- 897, Average- 49.83, 100s- 3, 50s- 2, HS- 127

Shikhar Dhawan managed a little less than what his opening partner Rohit Sharma did in ODIs. Dhawan started 2018 with a bang by scoring 323 runs at an average of 64.6 in the first ODI series of the year. Shikhar hit a century and two half-centuries in the series against The Proteas.

Except for the last series of 2018 (that was against the West Indies), the Delhi boy was consistent throughout the year. Prior to the West Indies series, the 33-year-old was scoring at an average of 60+ but by the end of series, his average fell to 49.83.

Dhawan could only contribute 112 runs in five matches with 38 being his best score in the series. His high point came in the Asia Cup -- where he ended as he was the top-scorer of the tournament. Gabbar, as he is popularly known, scored 342 runs which included two centuries.

#3 Virat Kohli- 10/10

The show stealer of 2018 ODIs

Matches- 14, Runs- 1202, Average- 133.56, 100s-6, 50s- 3, HS- 160*

2018 can be called as the best year for Virat Kohli in ODIs as on one hand he scored runs at a majestic average of 133.56, and on the other, team India won 75% of their matches with him at the helm as captain. Kohli performed in each and every series that India played. He was the top-scorer in every bilateral series for India.

The Indian captain was the top-scorer in 2018 with 1202 runs. This is his fourth best in a calendar year but on the other occasions, he played twice or thrice the number of matches he played in 2018.

His highest score in a calendar year is 1460 runs (in 2017) but it took him 26 matches to achieve so many runs. If Kohli had played the Asia Cup, he would have most certainly surpassed 1460 runs mark in 2018.

Scoring at an average of 133.56 runs proves how good 2018 was for Virat Kohli and how stunning his performance was. The 30-year-old played a major role in every match he played for his team and has always been a big reason in India's wins.

#4 Ambati Rayudu- 6/10

Ambati Rayudu solved India's middle-order conundrum

Matches-11, Runs- 392, Average- 56, 100s- 1, 50s- 3, HS- 100

Ambati Rayudu is the only player other than India's top order (Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli) who scored a century in 2018. Only four Indian batsmen managed to hit a century in 2018. Rayudu played some crucial knocks in 2018, especially during the Asia Cup where Kohli was missing.

His solitary century of 2018 came in the 4th ODI against West Indies which India won by a massive 224-run margin. The 33-year-old was consistent throughout the year as he maintained his average of over 50 except for the three times when it slipped a little below 50 with the lowest being 43.75 at the end of Asia Cup.

In the last series that Rayudu played, he made 200+ runs in four innings which included a century and a half-century and thus he is selected in India's ODI squad for the upcoming bilateral series against Australia.

#5 Kedar Jadhav- 6/10

Jadhav gave an all-around show in 2018

Matches- 11, Runs- 87, Average- 43.50, Wickets- 6

Kedar Jadhav acted like a savior for India on multiple occasions in 2018. The most important one was during the final of the Asia Cup. In 2018, he got to bat only five times and he remained not out on three occasions.

His best performance with the bat was an unbeaten 28 against HongKong in Asia Cup. However, the unbeaten 23 which he made against Bangladesh in the final of Asia Cup was his best contribution to team's victory. He made those vital 23 runs in a nerve-wracking match against Bangladesh which was the last ball thriller.

With the ball, the 33-year-old was even better as he picked six wickets in 2018 and all of them were during the Asia Cup. His best performance was against Pakistan where ended with figures of 3/23 in nine overs. Jadhav also picked up two crucial wickets in the final match of Asia Cup.

#6 Hardik Pandya- 3/10

Pandya got injured during the Asia Cup

Matches- 10, Runs- 68, Average- 13.60, Wickets- 5

Before getting injured in the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya played 10 matches in 2018. His performance was way below-par as he could only manage to score 68 runs in 10 matches at a poor average of 13.60.

Since 2017, Pandya played as the go-to all-rounder for India, but his performance in 2018 was extremely disappointing.

The 25-year-old failed not only with the bat but also with the ball. Pandya picked only five wickets in 2018 in the 71.2 overs he bowled at an extremely poor average of 79.20.

He got injured in his first match of Asia Cup against Pakistan while bowling his 5th over and since then he was out of the team and didn't make it to the squad for the rest of 2018. Pandya has been picked in the Indian squad for the upcoming bilateral series against the Aussies. He needs to justify his place in the team with whatever opportunity he gets as Jadeja, who made a come back in the team after Pandya's injury, is also in the reckoning.

#7 MS Dhoni- 4/10

2018 was the worst year for MS Dhoni

Matches- 20, Runs- 275, Average- 25, HS- 42*

The former Indian captain MS Dhoni was the only player who featured in all the 20 matches which India played in 2018. However, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman could only manage 275 runs. This is his lowest cumulative total score in a calendar year when he played 10 or more matches. His average of 25 in 2018 was also his lowest in a calendar year.

Dhoni can be considered as biggest disappointment for India in 2018. The 37-year-old did perform well in the previous edition of IPL and also led CSK to lift the trophy but he failed miserably in ODIs for the national side. He could not even manage to get a single half-century in 2018.

The captain-cool again got an opportunity to captain India in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Kohli. This was in a match against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. It was also his 200th match as captain but he failed as the match ended in a tie against the lower ranked side. In that match, Dhoni contributed only eight runs before Javed Ahmedi got him out by lbw.

#8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 5/10

Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn't stand to expectations

Matches- 14, Wickets- 11, Runs- 101

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is considered one of the strongest links of Indian fast bowling, failed to live up to the expectations in 2018. The right-arm pacer grabbed only 11 wickets in 14 matches which is very disappointing for someone of his caliber. He picked three wickets in a match twice - with 3/15 being his best bowling figures. This was against Pakistan in the group stage match of Asia Cup.

At the beginning of 2018, Bhuvi was seen as someone who would spearhead of the Indian bowling attack. However, his performance was far from satisfactory. Instead, Jasprit Bumrah grabbed all the attention because of his great performance in 2018.

Even Ravindra Jadeja, who returned to the Indian team after almost one year, took 14 wickets in eight matches which is way better than what 28-year-old Bhuvi managed. However, with the bat, he did play some crucial knocks. The 21-run contribution in the Asia Cup final was of paramount importance and can also be considered his best batting performance in 2018.

It is vital for him to get his rhythm back and perform well for The Men in Blue as World Cup is scheduled to be held in this year. He might just have his last chance to prove his mettle in the bilateral series against Australia.

#9 Kuldeep Yadav- 9/10

Kuldeep Yadav was India's best bowler in 2018

Matches- 19, Wickets- 45, Average- 17.77, Best- 6/25

Kuldeep Yadav emerged as India's best bowler in terms of wickets taken in 2018. He was also the world's second best as Rashid Khan, who snapped 48 wickets, was the highest wicket-taker in the previous year.

The Indian spin maestro picked 45 wickets at a strike rate of 22.9 in 2018. He started the year with a high -- picking up 17 wickets in the bilateral series against South Africa at an average of 13.88. It also included two four-wicket hauls.

The 24-year-old spinner also achieved the record of becoming the joint third fastest bowler to 50 wickets in ODI's as he completed 50-wickets in 24 matches. He was also the second best bowler in the Asia Cup with 10 wickets to his name. In the series against England and West Indies, he picked 9-wickets each.

In 2018, Kuldeep conceded runs at an average of merely 4.64 runs an over. This made him India's 4th most economical bowler in 2018.

#10 Yuzvendra Chahal- 7/10

Chahal was India's second most successful bowler in 2018

Matches- 17, Wickets- 29, Average- 26, Best- 5/22

Yuzvendra Chahal was the perfect partner for Kuldeep Yadav and helped India win as many as 75% of their matches. He supported Yadav throughout the year by giving India the crucial breakthroughs when even Yadav failed.

Chahal started the year with a bang as he picked 16 wickets in India's first ODI series of 2018. His best bowling figures were 5/22 in the second ODI and were followed by 4/46 in the next match against the Proteas.

However, his form slumped as the year progressed. In the Asia Cup, the 28-year-old nailed only six wickets and just six wickets in the bilateral series against England.

Against West Indies Chahal bounced back. He played only three matches but picked up five wickets and ended the year with 29 wickets to his name at an average of 26. He also conceded runs at an economy of 4.82 runs an over.

#11 Jasprit Bumrah- 8/10

Bumrah was India's best pacer in 2018

Matches- 13, Wickets- 22, Average- 16.63, Best- 4/35

Bumrah was the most economical bowler for India in 2018. He was also the second best in terms of average. He featured in only 13 matches out of 20 matches that India played in 2018 but still picked 22 wickets at an impressive average of 16.63.

Except for the very first match against South Africa, his economy rate remained below four runs an over throughout the year.

In the first series of the year, he picked up eight wickets followed by another eight wickets in Asia Cup matches. Bumrah's best performance came in the final series of the year which was against West Indies when he picked four wickets in a match giving away 35 runs in 10 overs.

The 25-year-old was undoubtedly the best speedster for India in 2018. In terms of average, he was even better than Kuldeep Yadav. The right-arm pacer is a huge prospect for the Men in Blue considering the upcoming World Cup.