Player Ratings

Virender Sehwag (1/10)

A poor series for Sehwag and one that he will want to forget quickly. Sehwag has deservedly come under criticism for postponing his shoulder surgery resulting in him missing the first 2 tests. He made the team for the third test but looked clearly unfit.

His see-ball-hit-ball approach that has brought him such remarkable success in the subcontinent failed again in the more testing conditions in England. Sehwag’s average away from the subcontinent hovers just above the 40 mark and his record in England & South Africa is rotten. Any claims to greatness will need to wait until he proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he can score consistently in difficult conditions.

Gautam Gambhir (2/10)

Yet another series in which injury problems have plagued GG. Admittedly he was unfortunate to be on the receiving end of a couple of hard hits. However, when he did bat he looked uncertain against the rising delivery. This chink in his armor was exploited in the T20 world cup last year, but a good series in South Africa stopped the murmurs for the time being. This series will get a few tongues wagging again.

Abhinav Mukund (2/10)

Played the first two tests and did little of note. His tendency to fish at deliveries outside the off stump was always going to be detrimental in England and so it proved. He is likely to be dropped after this outing and future success will depend on whether he is able to tighten his technique outside the off stump and play the rising delivery with a little more assurance.

Rahul Dravid (8/10)

The only Indian batsman to show spunk. At times this test series threatened to end up being a contest between Dravid & England. His technique was spot on and his judgment which seemed to be failing him in the last year or 2 was back to being at his best. His footwork was immaculate and he played both pace and spin with complete comfort. His catching was probably the only aspect of the game that let him down and that is the only reason he does not score a complete 10.

Sachin Tendulkar (4/10)

A poor series by his own high standards. Tendulkar looked uncertain throughout the series and even the 91 that he made in the final test was a shaky innings. He struggled to pick Swann and had to rely on reading him off the pitch. India’s lack of talent in the batting department means that Tendulkar will need to bounce back soon.

V.V.S. Laxman (3/10)

Laxman’s problems in England continued with another poor outing in that country. His lack of footwork has not been a problem on the harder wickets in Australia. But it has certainly contributed to his failures in England. It has not helped that he has had to bat out of position for most of the summer. Given the toothlessness of India’s openers (discounting RSD of course), Laxman has had to face the new ball early in his innings on most occasions. This has not been to his liking. Laxman’s shot selection is another aspect of his game that has left a lot to be desired and at least on a couple of occasions he threw away his wicket just when he seemed to be at his best. His visible lack of fitness is a serious source of concern in the twilight of his career.

Suresh Raina (0.5/10)

Suresh Raina was quite simply a disaster. His problems with the short ball have been well documented. England exploited this weakness and Raina was left with no answers. Raina takes his eyes off the ball when it is short and leaves his bat hanging in the air. There cannot be a worse way to play the short ball. As the series dragged on, his confidence took a beating and playing him in the fourth test left many people wondering whether he was in the team for his bowling!

Yuvraj Singh (4/10)

It is difficult to rate Yuvraj Singh's performance as he was involved in just one match. Whilst he did make 60 odd runs in the first innings of that game, it is hard to be convinced given the way he handled the fast bowlers. Yuvraj looked uneasy against the bouncing ball and the bulk of his scoring was done when the spinners were in operation. The manner of his dismissal in the second innings was another sore point. Strauss had just brought a man in to the silly point region and presto the very next ball Yuvraj fended one to him. I believe 30 odd tests is a big number for someone to prove himself. The facts are plain and simple. Save 1 or 2 glimpses of brilliance, Yuvi has by enlarge been a disaster in test matches. His fitness has been a source of concern for a while now and he is not getting any younger. I reckon Yuvi has run his course in test cricket. It's time to look elsewhere.

M.S. Dhoni (3/10)

Two fighting half centuries in the third test was the only source of joy for Dhoni in what was his worst tour till date. Dhoni’s batting record away from him had always been dodgy and not too many people realistically expected him to set the Thames alight with his batting. However, he was expected to lead the side with the calm assuredness that has thus far been his calling card. Things went wrong almost from ball one.

His glove-work was shoddy to say the least. His inability to stand up to Praveen Kumar cost the team greatly. His decision to bring himself on during the first test was absolutely ridiculous and generated a large amount of deserved criticism. As the series progressed Dhoni looked disinterested and did little by way of motivating the team. His field settings were incomprehensible and he looked clue-less 90% of the time. Dhoni remains another Indian cricketer who has to step up away from the comforts of the subcontinent if he wants to be remembered as anything other than a flat-track bully.

Praveen Kumar (7/10)

As Cricinfo put it, if the rest of the team showed the attitude Praveen did, things may have just been a little better. Praveen overcame his lack of pace to take the fight to England. He had little to no support at the other end and yet toiled manfully and with a good deal of success. His clean striking with the bat provided a bit of entertainment to the fans as well.

Praveen’s game was always going to be suited to English conditions. The challenge for him will be to see if he can perform as well in conditions that will offer him little or no assistance. His lack of pace remains an issue that may yet prove to be his undoing.

Harbhajan Singh (0.5/10)

Another poor series for Singh who in recent times has had far more poor matches than good ones. It’s time Harbhajan Singh goes back to first class cricket and tries to iron out the many flaws that have crept into his game. He is too defensive and bowls a line that is going to trouble no half decent batsman. His reluctance to bowl the doosra means he has no variations whatsoever. He has been given enough and more chances and it is about time India look at the future.

Amit Mishra (3/10)

Mishra showed promise with the bat but unfortunately did not with his main skill – bowling. He bowls too many bad balls and does not have the required skill to consistently trouble good players. He may do better on the friendlier surfaces back home, but India need to plan for the future and it does not look as if Mishra has what it takes at this level.

Ishant Sharma (6/10)

Once again Sharma showed enormous potential without doing enough to suggest that he will become the bowler he has the ability to become. When Sharma is good he is very good. He is by far the fastest of the Indian bowlers. His height means that he gets bounce on almost any track. His problem is an inability to bowl the right length for long enough. In the second test when he pitched the ball a bit further up to the bat, the results were almost immediate. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so on a more consistent basis.

The board has to manage Ishant better. Ideally Ishant should be preserved for test cricket and should be omitted from the other forms of the game.

Sreesanth (2/10)

Sreesanth started brightly in the second test but his lack of consistency proved to be a thorn in his path once again. He is another player who has had his fair share of chances and India will need to look beyond him. In conditions that would have had most seamers salivating, Sreesanth bowled absolute rubbish. The lack of an inswinger also more often than not results in him being extremely mediocre against left handed batsman who are able to flick him away without a problem.

R.P. Singh (0/10)

R.P. did not do anything to gain any points. He lacks pace, lacks direction, lacks swing - in short lacks any of the criteria required to be a bowler. Enough said.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer’s injury in the very first test effectively ended the test series as a contest. India never recovered and were duly pummeled into submission. Zaheer is undoubtedly a fine bowler but it looks very much as if his time is up. India cannot rely on a bowler who keeps breaking down every second match. It is obvious that his fitness levels are poor and judging by his frame it does not look as if he has put in enough of an effort to stay fit. The wise thing to do would be for India to plan for the future with the assumption that Zaheer’s career is over.