The end-of-series numbers wouldn’t have surprised anyone. If it’s white-ball cricket, it must be Virat Kohli. He wasn’t at his fluent best on a slow Visakhapatnam pitch where the ball turned appreciably, but his 76-ball 65 was his third significant innings of the series. The first, an unbeaten 85, had piloted a six-wicket stroll, while the second, a monumental 134-ball 154, saw India overhaul 286 with ten balls to spare.
His tally for the series was 358, made from just 355 balls. It's the other numbers that will concern India. Rohit Sharma made 70 in Vizag, but just 53 in four other innings. MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane managed one half-century apiece, with dismal strike-rates. Manish Pandey's highlights reel was characterised by impatience and rashness.
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The silver lining, and a fairly big one at that, came from Kedar Jadhav. At 31, he’s from the Mike Hussey come-lately school, without quite having the same ability. But in a series where other replacement players struggled for consistency, Jadhav managed knocks of 41 and 39 not out, and six wickets for 73 with his innocuous, round-arm offspin.
Jadhav’s wickets, the result of Dhoni backing his hunches yet again – with inputs from Anil Kumble, the coach – were vital for a line-up playing without its two frontline spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were both rested for all five matches, with more than one eye on the upcoming five-Test series against England.
India also gave Mohammed Shami, the pace spearhead, a break, but there was no let-up in intensity, with both Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah bowling beautifully in conditions that were far from pace-friendly. The only disappointment was Dhawal Kulkarni. In his only game of the series, Kulkarni – who was first part of an Indian squad more than seven years ago – went for 59 in seven overs.
The two spinners, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra, were a study in contrast. Axar was as economical as ever, but managed just four wickets across the five matches. Mishra wasn’t as restrictive, but had a 15-wicket haul for the series, including 5 for 18 in the series decider. He’s 33 now, and behind Ashwin and Jadeja in the pecking order. But against sides that have a marked weakness against well-flighted wrist spin, he’s a wonderful asset to have.
It wasn’t always sharp turn that flummoxed batsmen. Throughout his career, Mishra has been unafraid to loop the ball up, and he has a wonderfully disguised googly to complement the stock ball. With a former legspinner, albeit a very unorthodox one, as his coach, Mishra seems to be enjoying his bowling more than ever.
India will be a stronger XI once Shikhar Dhawan returns from injury. They could also do worse than try KL Rahul at the top of the order. He already has a century in every format, and is far more likely to rattle along at a run a ball than Rahane, whose method appears to consist of boundaries and dot balls and little else.
India are the experts at raising their game for the big events, but with just a handful of games remaining before the Champions Trophy defence in England next summer, the time for large-scale experimentation is over.
Kohli continues to be in wondrous form, but he won’t be able to retain the trophy on his own.
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