England sealed yet another series win on home soil after their victory in the Fourth Test against India at Southampton. If you haven’t been entertained by the drama on and off the field then I would advise you to f**k off, otherwise kindly read these player ratings!
After the opening day collapse, it was a case of same old s**t from Joe Root’s side. The criticism towards the selectors and the team was getting vicious and louder. Any more of that and National Selector Ed Smith will be left with no choice but to blame Kevin Petersen.
Here are the Player Ratings:
England
Cook – Form is temporary. Class is permanent. He will come good again. 2/10
Jennings – Duck in the first innings. But his score of 36 in England’s second innings shouldn’t be undervalued. The highest score and most number of balls faced by any of the openers in this Test. Saying that I still cannot see him being a long-term England opener. 4.5/10
Root – Scored some useful runs at four and captained the team brilliantly. 8/10
Bairstow – It’s not been the best of weeks for Jonny. He had the gloves taken off him then he struggled with the bat when pushed up the order. On the plus side, he has had a shave which means he is now only 75% ginger. 2/10
Stokes – Another solid all-round game from Stokes. Despite not being able to bowl at full throttle, he picked up some useful wickets. He was lively in the field and scored some tough runs in the third innings. 7/10
Buttler – Not only is Jos having a great summer but he is showing a different side to his game. Once again, he showed his teammates how to grind out runs in difficult situations. 8.5/10
Ali – Aside from being pushed to three, it was a near-perfect comeback from Moeen. In England, he should be the sole spinner. Away from home, it’s a different story. 10/10
Curran – No doubt, the Surrey lad is the find of the summer. Prime example as to why England should give more youngsters a chance. No matter how raw they are. 9/10
Rashid – Another game where Adil didn’t do much. Is it his fault? Well, one thing is for sure Michael Vaughan will be losing his rag. I hear a diss track is being prepared for the end of this series. 2/10
Broad & Anderson – Damn, I am going to miss these two when they retire. Legends. 9/10
India
Dhawan – His change of technique didn’t work this time around but conditions were tough for the openers. He looked better than his partner. 3/10
Rahul – This series has been a big learning curve for the youngster. I won’t be surprised to see him dropped for the final game. 2/10
Pujara – This was Pujara at his best. The highest team total was 273. Pujara scored 132* himself in India’s first innings. That says it all. 9/10
Kohli – If his top-order and lower to middle-order had helped him out in the run chase then this series would be 2-2. Deserves to be on the winning side. 8/10
Rahane – Perhaps the pick of the bad bunch from that middle order. 6.5/10
Pant – He has a strike rate of 90 plus in First Class cricket. Pant’s 29-ball duck in the first innings should be a reminder that he’s not going to be causing that sort of damage in England’s backyard. 1/10
Pandya – Even when Stokes is half-fit, he cannot come close to him. Another player that could be dropped for the final game of the series. 1/10
Ashwin – His injury hampered him big time, particularly his bowling. However, whilst Ali was bowling average speeds of 50-55mph. Ashwin was bowling speeds of 55+ which ultimately cost him. Fact is, he was ineffective on a turning wicket. 1/10
Sharma – There is no doubt that Sharma has improved compared to the last time he played on these shores. Along with his teammates, he did the damage with the ball but they let themselves down with the bat. 7/10
Shami – He has been India’s best bowler this series and he proved that during England’s second innings. 8/10
Bumrah – If he had been available from the get-go then there might have been a different scoreline to this series. Bumrah caused problems again during this game. But he couldn’t cause the same problems that won him plaudits during the last game. 7/10
