BGT 2024-25: India Player Ratings for the series as visitors surrender 3-1 to Australia

Team India's Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 campaign ended with a six-wicket defeat in Sydney on Sunday, January 5. With this result, their hold over the trophy was gone, and so was the shot of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

A series full of highs and lows constituted India's trip Down Under. While the team managed to test the hosts on multiple occasions on their own turf, this series will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

From a performance perspective, it was a huge drop from India's last two trips Down Under, and the scoreline suggested the same. With most of the players being out of form, India had to over-rely on certain individuals to step up.

On that note, let us look at India's Player Ratings for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 for the members who appeared in at least two Tests.

Rohit Sharma - 1/10

As a leader, or as a batter, Rohit Sharma was nowhere to be found in the entire series. Despite all of the batting shuffles and change in approach, he was not the talisman that India desperately needed.

With 31 runs in three matches and two losses in the three matches that he led, Rohit Sharma receives the bare minimum, that too for just showing up rather than his performances.

Yashasvi Jaiswal - 7/10

One of the few positives for India from the tour, Yashasvi Jaiswal, took on the challenge in the right fashion. He was unfazed in his very first visit to Australia and troubled the hosts in more ways than one.

His hundred in Perth and twin fifties in Melbourne will live long in the memory as he emerged as India's leading run-scorer in the series. His battle with Mitchell Starc and the way he batted according to the situation was a good template for the rest of his compatriots to adopt.

KL Rahul - 6/10

KL Rahul's Border-Gavaskar campaign was one of two halves. He proved why he should open with a brilliant first half, comprising masterclasses in Perth and Brisbane. But a random shift to No. 3 in Melbourne and a forgettable series finale in Sydney ensured that he had to settle for mediocrity yet again.

Although his run tally might not be the highest, he was possibly the best batter in the Indian camp when it came to pure technique. The series has helped him be considered as an opener yet again, pushing him out of the middle-order cluster, but he might not have a long rope on offer.

Shubman Gill: 1/10

Gill was tasked with the crucial No.3 role in the series after a decent home season. However, his overseas woes came to the fore as he failed to handle the responsibility. Instead of wearing out the ball and bowlers, the youngster could only muster a couple of starts, and hardly spent any time at the crease.

His temperament and shot selection were highly questionable as he earned the wrath of fans and pundits alike. Gill missed the series opener due to injury and was dropped for the Boxing Day Test as he did not fit in the team combination. With only 93 runs in three matches, Gill had a series that he would like to wipe out from his memory.

Virat Kohli - 2/10

The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series will be known for many things, including Virat Kohli's underwhelming campaign. From the batter's perspective, it will be a series that tarnishes his legacy a bit and pushes him closer to the exit door.

Barring a hundred in Perth on a lifeless track, he had absolutely nothing to show. That three-figure mark saves him from serious blushes on this list and everywhere else, but it is hardly a defense. The repeated manner of his dismissals and the sheer helplessness ensured that he was among India's most disappointing players.

Rishabh Pant - 5/10

One of the batters that India have been overly reliant on in recent times, Rishabh Pant's mediocre outputs played a huge role in India's series defeat. India desperately needed runs from his blade with the rest of the batting unit faltering. However, all he could contribute was a set of starts, particularly the first half of the series.

A campaign that will be remembered for his questionable shot selection in Melbourne and his quick-fire fifty in Sydney makes it a mixed bag for Pant, and something downright average. India needed more from him to have a bigger say in the series.

Nitish Kumar Reddy - 7/10

One of the questionable selection calls that paid off well, Nitish Kumar Reddy was arguably India's find of the tour. The all-rounder made it instantly known that he belonged at this level with his cameos in the first two Tests. He then made a point to assert that he is a long-term prospect with a ton in Melbourne.

However, there is still a lot to be desired from his bowling. His judgment and game awareness were quite poor in the latter portion of the series.

Ravindra Jadeja - 3/10

Spinners hardly had a say in the entire series, but much was expected from Ravindra Jadeja's experience with the bat. While he came to the team's rescue with a brilliant fifty in Brisbane, he was more or less absent after that.

Washington Sundar - 3/10

In a series where Washington Sundar officially took over as India's first-choice off-spinner, he could chip in with only 114 runs and three wickets. He put on a gritty fifty while coming in for Shubman Gill in the Boxing Day Test, but could not step up when the team needed him the most in Sydney.

His game awareness has been questioned in the past, and it came to the surface yet again as he now faces the pressure of succeeding the retired veteran, Ravichandran Ashwin.

Jasprit Bumrah - 10/10

Numbers fail to justify what Jasprit Bumrah pulled off in the series. A perfect display propelling him into the record books marks one of the greatest individual performances in the sport's history. 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 says everything that needs to be said.

He also stepped in with his leadership in two Tests and showed what India were missing all this time in the format. His last-minute injury proved to be a minor blip in a flawless campaign that had Australia trembling throughout. With a little bit of support from the other end, and batters playing their part, the scoreline could have been entirely different.

Mohammed Siraj - 6/10

Siraj's campaign was a mixed bag from all directions. His wicket-tally was not shoddy by any means, but his impact, at times, was not there to be seen. The pacer was not quite the ideal deputy that Bumrah deserved, and Siraj should have been one, considering all the experience he has amassed in recent years.

But, to his credit, he was there for all five Tests and ran in hard whenever the team needed him to. He had his moments, particularly his spell in Sydney, but it came a touch too late. He was particularly disappointing with the new ball and was not potent against the top order, which cost India on multiple occasions.

Akash Deep - 5/10

His numbers for the series warrant a worse rating, but at the same time, he was extremely unlucky.

The pacer tested the batters consistently, with close calls and dropped catches being a common sight off his bowling in the series. He perhaps deserved a shot with the new ball on more occasions, but he gave his best whenever he was brought on.

Harshit Rana - 4/10

The right-arm pacer's memorable debut in Perth was followed by an atrocious outing with the pink ball in Adelaide.

Being a surprise inclusion, he was supposed to be the X-Factor with his handy abilities with the bat as well. However, he was not up to the mark as the third seamer, which was why he was overlooked for Prasidh Krishna in the final Test.