More than half of India’s World Cup matches in the league stage are over. With five wins out of five, they are the only team with a 100% record so far. Batters are going great guns and the team has lost only 19 wickets in five matches. The bowlers have taken 46 wickets and brought the team back from tough situations. With the business end of the competition coming closer, all 15 have played at least one game each. Here’s a look at how they have done so far and what can be expected of them.
Rohit Sharma: Spot on as opener and skipper, who has not banished bowlers to the outfield after one or two expensive overs. Persisted with them and reaped the rewards at crucial moments. He led from the front with the bat and is the reason why India have made near-optimum use of the initial fielding restrictions. Tallies of 33 fours and 17 sixes are the highest in the competition and account for a staggering 75.24% of his 311 runs. Score: 8/10
Shubman Gill: Did not look out of sorts after missing the first two games due to dengue. Came out with a positive mindset and tried to force the pace instead of marvelling at proceedings from the other end. Got starts and looked good while creaming those drives through the off side. Part of two breezy fifty-plus stands, he would like to up his game now. Score: 6/10
Virat Kohli: The hardcore fan would keep fingers crossed because this has been one unreal run. He is giving a feeling that it’s his responsibility to finish things off. India batted second in all five matches, which made his determination to shepherd the flock vividly evident. Doing the hard work in the beginning, hitting the fours after that and haring between the wickets in every game in these conditions is superhuman. His tournament-topping tally of 354 runs is not only about skills. There is a lot of zeal in the way he is going about his business. Or should we say unfinished business? Score: 9/10
Shreyas Iyer: If there is one area in batting that India need to get better at, it’s No. 4. Shreyas’s contributions are unbecoming of a player who bats at that position. He got chances to play himself in, after a platform had been set. He played some smart shots, but on most occasions failed to consolidate and take the innings forward. Getting out to a short-pitched ball once again in the previous match would have been noticed by the opponents. Time to pull up those socks. Score: 5/10
KL Rahul: Neither is he a specialist at No. 5, nor is he a wicketkeeper by choice. He has embraced both jobs admirably. He can become your modern-day mayhem man, who strikes at 150, and he can also play the anchor’s role with zero audacity. This head-down-when-situation-demands approach continues to be crucial in ODIs. Teams need players who know how to play the holding game, especially against spinners in the middle overs. He has been error-free behind the stumps, which is creditable considering that he keeps against some quality pace and spin. Score: 7/10
Hardik Pandya: It’s an absence India will not be able to fill, if he misses a few more games after that ankle injury in the fourth one. He hardly got a chance to bat and was getting sharper as a bowler after a rusty start. The economy rate could have been better, but he was getting breakthroughs. As a sixth bowler, he was doing his job and playing the fifth bowler’s role at times. Score: 5/10
Ravindra Jadeja: Did not get noticed that often because he did not bat in the first four games. He played his part when it came to taking the team past the finish line against New Zealand. Has been an integral part of a successful bowling unit. Not taken wickets in heaps, but chipped in with timely blows. Figures tidy as usual, his importance will increase when the business end approaches. Score: 7/10
Shardul Thakur: Somewhat of a disappointment with the ball in three matches. Not only because he has taken just two wickets or conceded nearly six per over. He has sometimes released the pressure built by the other bowlers. Batters looked more comfortable against his bowling. This Indian attack is different because of its collective ability to take wickets. Thakur, on current form, is not among the best persons to do that job. Score: 4/10
Ravichandran Ashwin: A lot of people are unhappy that the off-spinner has not got a game after the first one. He showed control and authority against Australia, even though it was not the best of his days. For some reason, the team management found it prudent to have an additional fast bowler in place of him. One gets a feeling that he will be seen in action in crunch games. Score: 6/10
Kuldeep Yadav: Things happening in a quiet manner often means that the job is getting done. The left-arm unorthodox spinner, who failed to live up to huge expectations four years ago, is bowling like a man transformed. Technical changes made, he is in good space mentally too. There is no rush. He seems to have a clear idea of what to do. The effects are not spectacular but telling. Score: 7/10
Jasprit Bumrah: Possibly the best bowler of the World Cup so far. Delivered from wide of the crease, the ball is moving in with the angle to hit the stumps. Bowled from the same angle, it is going in the other direction and still clipping the bail on the off stump. Add variations in pace without visible changes in the action with yorkers, and this is the toughest set of questions one can get from a fast bowler. Score 8/10
Mohammed Siraj: After a wayward start, when he seemed to have lost rhythm and control, he has made a comeback in the last two games. The ball is coming out nicely at a good pace and making life difficult for batters. His strength is taking wickets and the team won’t mind if he does that even at the cost of a few runs, as long as the others are not going for plenty. Score: 6/10
Mohammed Shami: What can one say about a 33-year-old fast bowler who rattles off five wickets after a long time on the bench? Brought back when the team needed a wicket-taker, he delivered against New Zealand. The third seamer uprooting stumps off successive deliveries in the slog overs is a massive boost for any team. Score: 8/10
Ishan Kishan: Playing as Gill’s replacement, his job was to score runs. Fell for a first-ball duck against Australia and made a run-a-ball 47 versus Afghanistan. That makes it an open-and-shut case, with no room for interpretation. Score: 5/10
Suryakumar Yadav: One should not be judged on one innings where he got run out. But yes, the match was open when he came in to bat against New Zealand. There was time for him to get set and going. It was an injudicious call on his part and he did not look at his partner, who was guilty of the same. But this is too small a sample size to evaluate a player crazy potential. Score: 4/10