World Cup 2019 Review: Rating the performance of each Indian player in the tournament

India entered the World Cup 2019 as one of the heavy favorites. They dominated the league stage by winning seven of their nine games; with their match against New Zealand washed out, India were the only team to lose just a single game in the league stage.

They started their semi-final game on a good note by restricting New Zealand to a modest score of 239. However, the New Zealand bowlers fought back strongly in the second innings by triggering a colossal batting collapse. Despite a brave knock from Ravindra Jadeja, the Kiwis won the match by 18 runs.

With the World Cup now over, let us review the performances of the Indian players in the premier tournament.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

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Mayank Agarwal – N/A

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal came into the squad as a replacement for the injured Vijay Shankar. Since Agarwal joined the team in the final phase of the tournament, he didn't get to play a single game.

Shikhar Dhawan – N/A

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan’s World Cup 2019 started on a bitter note as he managed to score only eight runs against South Africa. However, he bounced back strongly in the next game by scoring a century against Australia.

In the process, he fractured his left thumb and failed to recover before the end of the tournament. As a result, his World Cup campaign came to a premature end.

Dinesh Karthik – (1/10)

Dinesh Karthik

When India ran out of patience with Kedar Jadhav, they replaced him with Dinesh Karthik.

Karthik made his World Cup debut against Bangladesh and scored only eight runs. Though he did not get the chance to bat in the Sri Lanka game, a perfect opportunity was laid out for him in the semi-final. However, a stunner from James Neesham ended his World Cup campaign.

Overall, it can be said that Karthik failed miserably in the World Cup.

Kedar Jadhav – (2/10)

Kedar Jadhav

Though Kedar Jadhav had a poor IPL 2019 campaign, he was expected to perform well in the World Cup. However, his bad form continued in the mega event too.

In five innings, he managed to score only 80 runs out of which 52 came in a single innings against Afghanistan.

Since the main bowlers performed well throughout the tournament, Kohli rarely required Jadhav’s bowling services. As a result, he lost his place in the playing XI towards the end of the league stage.

Vijay Shankar – (3/10)

Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar’s controversial inclusion in the World Cup squad raised several eyebrows before the start of the event. As it turned out, the doubts were justified.

In three matches, Shankar managed to score only 58 runs. Barring his two wickets against Pakistan, he failed to do any justice to his inclusion in the squad.

In the end, a toe injury ruled him out of the World Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav – (4/10)

Kuldeep Yadav

Just like Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav also had a disappointing IPL 2019 campaign, and was expected to bounce back strongly in the World Cup. However, Kuldeep disappointed everyone as he took only six wickets in his seven games.

Apart from an excellent delivery to dismiss Babar Azam, Kuldeep rarely troubled the batsmen in the tournament. He even lost his place in the playing XI towards the end of the league stage.

Rishabh Pant – (6/10)

Rishabh Pant

Even though Rishabh Pant missed out in the original World Cup squad, he came into the team as a replacement player. Since KL Rahul opened the batting, Pant was given a chance to bat at No. 4.

In four matches, Pant scored 116 runs with a high score of 48. As in the IPL 2019, he threw away his wicket regularly by playing reckless shots at wrong junctures.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar – (7/10)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a moderate IPL 2019 campaign before the World Cup. Still, he was included in the playing XI ahead of the in-form Mohammad Shami in the premier tournament - before he picked up a minor injury mid-way through.

Even though Bhuvneshwar's inclusion in the semi-final raised several eyebrows, he managed to take three wickets. Overall, he played six games and claimed 10 scalps. However, he failed to pick quick wickets regularly at the start of the innings.

MS Dhoni – (7/10)

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni was expected to carry his IPL 2019 form into the World Cup. However, the former Indian skipper failed to live up to the expectations.

In his eight innings, Dhoni managed to score only 273 runs with two half-centuries. His innings against England in one of the league matches incited sharp criticism towards his batting approach.

Dhoni was expected to bounce back in the semi-final. However, he came out to bat very late, at No. 7, and failed to finish the run chase.

KL Rahul – (7/10)

KL Rahul

KL Rahul was included in the World Cup squad as a reserve opener. However, he was slotted to No. 4 in the first few games of the tournament.

When Dhawan got injured, Rahul moved up the order as an opener. In nine games, he scored 361 runs with one century and two half-centuries.

His slow strike-rate was a concern for the team throughout the tournament.

Yuzvendra Chahal – (7/10)

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal had an average World Cup 2019 campaign unlike his bowling partner Kuldeep.

Chahal started the tournament with a 4-wicket haul against South Africa. He continued his good form and managed to claim at least one wicket in six of his eight games. Overall, he took 12 wickets in his eight games.

Hardik Pandya – (8/10)

Hardik Pandya

There were massive expectations from Hardik Pandya before the start of the World Cup. He lived up to the expectations to an extent, with consistent all-round performances throughout the tournament.

In nine innings, Pandya scored 226 runs at a tremendous strike rate of 112.43. With the ball, he claimed 10 wickets in nine matches.

Overall, it is fair to say he had a decent World Cup 2019 campaign.

Mohammed Shami – (8.5/10)

Mohammed Shami

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the squad, Mohammed Shami had to wait for his chance in the playing XI. When he replaced the injured Bhuvneshwar, his scintillating performances started to raise several questions over his late inclusion.

Shami managed to take a record tally of 14 wickets in just four games. However, he was once again strangely excluded from the playing XI in the semi-final against New Zealand.

Virat Kohli – (8.5/10)

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was expected to lead from the front in the World Cup 2019. Even though he scored only 18 runs in his first outing, he registered five consecutive half-centuries in his next five games.

Overall, Kohli scored 443 runs in his nine matches with five half-centuries. Inability to convert the starts into big scores and a failure in the semi-final were the only negative points for the Indian skipper.

Ravindra Jadeja – (9/10)

Ravindra Jadeja

Since India included two wrist-spinners in the playing XI for most of the league matches, Ravindra Jadeja was forced to wait for his chance. He got his opportunity only during the last league match against Sri Lanka.

Jadeja claimed the wicket of Kusal Mendis and bowled economically. Hence, he retained his place for the semi-final clash against New Zealand.

After a batting collapse in the knockout match, Jadeja produced one of the best knocks of the tournament. And even though he played only two matches, he saved more than 40 runs for the Indian team with his excellent fielding as a substitute.

Jasprit Bumrah – (9.5/10)

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah had a dream debut World Cup. In nine matches, he claimed 18 wickets and finished fifth in the overall wicket-takers list. He was even included in the ICC’s official Team of the Tournament.

Whenever India required breakthroughs Kohli threw the ball to Bumrah, and Bumrah rarely disappointed. Despite his stellar performances with the ball though, India failed to reach the final.

Rohit Sharma – (9.5/10)

Rohit Sharma

Just like Bumrah, Rohit Sharma also had an excellent World Cup campaign. He even overshadowed the remarkable ‘Fab 4’ (Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root) with his exceptional batting performances throughout the tournament.

In nine matches, Rohit registered a record 648 runs with five centuries and one half-century. His tally of five centuries is the most by any batsman in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit ended as the highest run-getter of World Cup 2019 and fell just short of winning the ‘Player of the Series’ award. Barring a blip in the semi-final, he had an absolutely stellar World Cup campaign.