Top 5 performers for India v New Zealand Test series
Oct 12, 2016 at 2:34 PM
India outplayed New Zealand to win the series 3-0 and regain the number 1 position in Test matches. It was a team performance by the India. Whenever India was in trouble, somebody stood up for the team. India played with positive attitude and never allowed the New Zealand team a chance to comeback in the series.
Here we look at the top five performers for India in the test series.
- R Ashwin
R Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker for India in the recently concluded test series. He finished the series with 27 wickets. During this test series he became the second fastest bowler in test cricket to take 200 wickets. His performance in the test series against New Zealand was outstanding. In this test series Ashwin troubled the New Zealand batsmen especially Kane Williamson. He dismissed the New Zealand captain four times. He picked 5 wickets in an innings 3 times and 10 wickets in a match twice. In the final test match at Indore he picked 13 wickets in total which decimated the New Zealand batting line-up. This was his 7th man of the series award. Before this series he was awarded the man of the series in Sri Lanka, West Indies, against South Africa in India. For his brilliant performance in third test he was awarded the man of the match and also the man of the series.
2. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja’s performance in the Test series against New Zealand was brilliant with the bat and ball. In the first test match at Kanpur he scored 42 and 50 runs which helped India in a big way. Also his contribution with ball in the first test was immense. He picked 5 wickets in the first innings which changed the course of the match. In the next two test matches also he contributed with ball which helped India to play well in the entire series. He picked 14 wickets in 3 matches. His lethal combination with Ashwin made the life tough for New Zealand batsmen. Jadeja bowled consistent line and lengths. Between Ashwin and Jadeja they picked a total of 41 wickets.
3. Chetshwar Pujara
Pujara played a key role in India’s whitewash over New Zealand. He scored a total of 373 runs in 6 innings with 3 half centuries and 1 century. During the first test match at Kanpur he scored 62 and 78 which helped India winning the test match. In the first innings of second test, India was struggling but Pujara solid technique helped India to recover. He scored 87 runs while in the second innings he scored only four runs. In the last test match at Indore he scored 41 and 101 not out. He showed both styles of play according to the situation of the game. He stood up to the task and made sure that India won the series and became the number 1 ranked team in the world.
4. Ajinkya Rahane
India’s most depenbale batsmen in test matches Rahane also played a key role in India’s whitewash over New Zealand in test series. During the first test match he scored 18 and 40 runs. In the second test match at Kolkata, Rahane scored an important 77 runs which helped India to recover from a poor position. In third test match at Indore he scored highest score in test match carrier. He played a match winning knock of 188 which helped India to post a massive total in the first innings. In the 6 innings he played in the series he scored a total of 347 runs. This shows that Rahane is an important member of Indian team in test matches.
5. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli led the Indian team from the front in the test series. During the first 3 innings he could not contribute much to the team cause. In the second innings of second test at Kolkata he gained his confidence back after scoring 45 important runs. At Indore he scored his 2nd double century of his carrier by scoring 211 runs. He and Rahane put on 365 for the fourth wicket. In the 6 innings played he scored 309 runs. In third test match he really showed his class and played a match-winning knock to bail India out of trouble. This innings will help him to perform well in the upcoming test series against England and Australia.