India's Test Report Card 2018: Rating the players

Hardik Pandya

Rating - 5

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya had an on and off time in Tests this year. His batting approach showed a lot of intent but he wasn't always able to convert his starts into scores. He worked more as a strike bowler and performed better in England than in South Africa.

Against South Africa, he scored a blistering 93 at Cape Town. He later picked up a five-wicket haul and scored a fifty in India's victory against England at Trent Bridge. The all-rounder missed the home series against West Indies and the first three Tests in Australia due to injury.

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Ajinkya Rahane

Rating - 5.5

Ajinkya Rahane

The Indian vice-captain wasn't at his best in 2018 and most of his significant contributions went unnoticed. His best innings were a 40-odd against South Africa, 81 against England and a more important 71 against Australia in the first Test which set the game up for an Indian win.

In South Africa, England and Australia, Rahane averaged 28.50, 25.70 and 33.16 respectively. Against the West Indies, he scored 121 runs at an average of 60.50. Rahane has certainly worked on scoring his runs more quickly and most of his dismissals have come as a result of loose shots. India will expect a slightly better performance from Rahane next year.

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Umesh Yadav

Rating - 6

Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav had a good year in Indian conditions in 2018. He picked up 20 wickets in five matches averaging a good 21.50 in total. Most of his exploits though came against the West Indies where he picked up 11 wickets in two matches averaging a stunning 15.36. He picked up four wickets against Afghanistan.

But outside of India, Umesh wasn't the same. In England, he got only one opportunity where he picked up three wickets and was very economical. He hasn't been good against Australia in the only Test he played and is currently warming the bench.