What a Test match. What a series. And what a summer of cricket! Our Player Ratings are off the charts this week…
From losing an ODI to Scotland, to beating India 4-1 after that memorable win at The Oval. Cricket in England is once again proving to be a benchmark for the rest of the world.
As you’re reading this, most of the England players will probably be pissed off their heads. Which one is lying in the gutter? Who urinated on the Oval pitch? And who is babysitting Stokes?
I am not too sure on the above answers. But, the ECB’s default answer is always Kevin Pietersen. So, let’s stick with that.
Here are the player ratings:
England
Cook – When the heat is taken away from the kitchen it can completely change the fortunes of a player. The now-retired Chef proved that in this game. After months of struggle, Cook proved why he is England’s greatest ever opening batsman. Two outstanding knocks and an ovation he will remember for the rest of his life. 10/10
Jennings – How can you defend a player that plays no shot? And why did he walk around the guard of honour? It’s your last Test as well, lad! He’s missing and forgetting everything. 2/10
Ali – His 50 in the first innings is exactly the type of performance and concentration levels England require at number three. But is he the long-term answer? No. Can he do it in all conditions? No. However, that isn’t the fault of Ali. He proved, with bat and ball, why he is so important to Joe Root. The beard to be feared. 8/10
Root – The Root of old re-surfaced at the Oval and it seems batting at four helps. His 125 was full of energy, great timing and attacking strokes. Not forgetting another excellent captaincy display. 9/10
Bairstow – Please don’t bring this form to Sri Lanka, Jonny. 2/10
Stokes – Once again, he took the crucial wicket of Kohli. Great counter-attacking 37 in the second innings too. Selfless and talented like a prostitute in Amsterdam. 8/10
Buttler – His runs with the tail early on day two, changed the tide of the game. One of many reasons why England walk away with a 4-1 win. Grit and determination in the middle to lower order. 9/10
Curran – Three wickets in a game where he was sitting in the backseat. 6/10
Rashid – If he is playing then Root needs to show more faith in him. Ball of the series to Rahul. 7/10
Broad – He was involved in that magic evening on day four. Broad getting Kohli out for a golden duck topped one of the great days in English cricket. Of course, the best being Nasser opting to bowl first against Australia. 7.5/10
Anderson – England’s greatest fast bowler. Enough said. 10/10
India
KL Rahul – Outstanding innings when trying to chase down that mammoth total. In a dark series for the Indian batsmen, he shed some light into the room. Only for Rashid to switch it off. 9/10
Dhawan – He could find himself out of the Test reckoning now after another poor display at the Oval. Jimmy and Broad had him on toast. 1/10
Pujara – He toughed it out in the first innings but was met with an unstoppable Anderson in the second. 4/10
Kohli – Golden duck for the mic drop expert. Another game where Root outclassed him in the captaincy ranks. 4/10
Rahane – Another start for Rahane. But another game where he wasn’t able to post a big score. He would have been disappointed to find Jennings at midwicket when trying to sweep Ali during India’s run chase. ‘That’s how you emulate my batting’ shouted Jennings as he walked past him. ‘I played a shot, though!’ Rahane replied. 4/10
Vihari – A very promising debut from the youngster. England were trying to rough him up in the first innings but he maintained his composure and scored a brilliant 56. What India have been missing after Kohli. 6/10
Pant – Just like Rahul, Pant played with a lot of freedom during that run chase. 9/10
Jadeja – 102 runs scored and nine wickets taken. Yet, this was his first Test match of the tour. Jadeja proved why he should’ve been brought in from the Lord’s Test onwards. 9.5/10
Sharma – His injury during the third innings proved costly. Nonetheless, it was another consistent performance from the big man. 7/10
Shami – His two wickets in the match don’t justify his performance. Despite Sharma’s injury, Shami continued to bowl with pace and precision. 8/10
Bumrah – Once again, he set the tone on day one with the wickets of Cook and Root. Along with Shami, the workload in England’s second innings was too much to ask. 8/10
