Kohli consistent, Pant persistent and Chahars cherish their chances: India player ratings after West Indies T20s

Chitrabhanu Kadalayil evaluates the performances of India's players who competed a series sweep on Tuesday

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  KL Rahul (5/10): He opened the batting in the dead rubber, in place of the rested Rohit Sharma, and scored a quickfire 20 to set the tone for India's successful run chase at Providence. But he was guilty once again of not kicking on. AFP

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  Rohit Sharma (8/10): The vice-captain got his team off to steady starts in the first two games, scoring a wonderful fifty in the second match and, in the process, setting the record for most sixes by a batsman in Twenty20 internationals. AFP

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  Shikhar Dhawan (4/10): The left-hander flopped at the top of the order in the first and third games, although he did make a 23-run cameo in the second match while putting on a 67-run stand for the first wicket with Rohit. Excessive criticism would be unfair given he only just returned from an injury break. AP Photo

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  Virat Kohli (8/10): The captain was consistent throughout the series. Scores of 19, 28 and 59 show he got better as the series progressed. His captaincy was spot-on, and he handled himself well even as rumours about a dip in his relationship with Rohit were swirling around. AFP

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  Rishabh Pant (5/10): The wicketkeeper-batsman made up for disappointing runs in the middle in the first two matches by scoring an unbeaten fifty in the dead rubber. Standing in for MS Dhoni, Pant was decent behind the stumps but continues to betray a lack of maturity with the bat. AP Photo

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  Manish Pandey (4/10): There is only so much one can do at No 5 in a T20 match, but Pandey will be disappointed for failing to build on the 19 he scored in the first game. That said, he did OK for a player returning to the side after nine months. AP Photo

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  Krunal Pandya (7/10): He proved he can be the second all-rounder in India’s T20 line-up, alongside younger brother Hardik (once he is fit). Krunal batted aggressively at No 6 in the second match, and his left-arm tweaks got him wickets in the first two games. AFP

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  Ravindra Jadeja (4/10): The team’s other southpaw had very little to contribute in the two games he played, batting at No 7 and bowling just five overs in two matches. He did take the wicket of Sunil Narine, though. AFP

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  Bhuvneshwar Kumar (7/10): The spearhead in the attack, ‘Bhuvi’ was at his consistent best with the new ball. He troubled the West Indies top order, took three wickets and bowled economically. AP Photo

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  Washington Sundar (5/10): The off-spinner opened the bowling in the first two games, taking three wickets in all. But he proved much too expensive and had little opportunity to shine with the bat. The T20 specialist, however, should be persisted with. AFP

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  Rahul Chahar (4/10): The leg-spinner played in just the one game and took the wicket of West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite, but he was a touch expensive. But, like Sundar, he is also very young and has the potential to enjoy a successful career. AFP

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  Khaleel Ahmed (3/10): The left-arm seamer narrowly missed out on a spot in India's World Cup squad, and the opportunity was there for him to prove his worth in the side. He played the first two games, but took just the one wicket, of Rovman Powell. He was dropped for the dead rubber. The National

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  Navdeep Saini (8/10): The genuinely quick fast bowler showed he belongs at the international level by taking five wickets in his first three matches with an India shirt on. He deserved to be named player of the match for his three-wicket haul on debut at Lauderhill. AFP

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  Deepak Chahar (8/10): Yet another promising seamer to represent India, Deepak - cousin of spinner Rahul - played just the dead rubber. And what a spell he had as he finished with figures of 3-4 in three overs that included a maiden. He is perfectly capable of pushing for a permanent spot in the T20 XI. AFP

India managed a clean sweep of their Twenty20 series against the West Indies, played in the United States and Guyana last week.

The tourists laboured to victory in the first two matches at Lauderhill, Florida, but it got a bit easier for them in the dead rubber in Providence, Georgetown.

If there are two takeaways from this series, it is that, one, there are plenty of youngsters good enough to play for India, and two, the bowling looks so robust that the BCCI can field multiple XIs if there is ever scope for it.

Following this contest, Chitrabhanu Kadalayil provides his player ratings. To check them out, browse through the photo gallery above.

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