Though India lost the last and final ODI at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala by seven-wickets, the hosts had already won the series. A 3-2 win came out as a big relief to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as the skipper had not only won a big series after a long time, there were also many positives that emerged for the captain and the team in the last five matches.

Here we bring before you the hits and flops from the entire ODI series:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: From the very first match of the series, he was trying to dominate and his impressive innings at Rajkot and Kochi led India to respectable scores. His bowling changes have given awesome results in the series. Using Bhuvaneshwar Kumar for 10 overs at stretch consistently for three matches was big gamble and it paid off for Dhoni every time. He has made Bhuvaneshwar bowl all his 10 overs at stretch for four times in his one-day career of eight matches and India won all four matches, three against England and one against Pakistan at Kotla.

Suresh Raina: He came all guns blazing in this series and scored four half-centuries in four innings. He was the leading run-scorer of the series with 277 runs with an impressive average of 92.33 at strike rate of 91.11. He has not just came out as finisher but a match winner for Indian team and his fielding efforts are enough to boost the energy level of his team-mates. He has shown leadership while batting and fielding. He was the cornerstone of Indian team throughout the series.

Ravindra Jadeja: He has emerged as a true champion after this series. His accuracy in bowling has not only made him the best bowler of Indian team in this series, but also the leading wicket taker in this series for India. He picked up nine wickets with an average of 15.17. He also scored 128 runs with an average of 64 while batting at number seven which is not so easy to do.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: He has impressed everyone who has seen him bowling in this series. His stamina to bowl 10 overs at stretch with the consistent line and length makes him a very accurate bowler who is always looking for picking-up wickets. He picked up seven wickets with an economy of 4.25.

Alastair Cook: Again Captain Cook led from the front and scored two half centuries and got some early start throughout the series. He scored 207 runs with an average of 41.41. The only problem for Cook was he got Leg-before-wicket thrice in this series, otherwise he marched his troops while fielding really well throughout the series.

Ian Bell: He started off well by scoring one century and one half-century while playing against Delhi eleven and Board’s president eleven. He continued his good form in Rajkot and Dharamsala and added 85 runs and 113 runs to his team total respectively. Whenever he batted well his team won. He was the only player to score a century in this series. He was the highest run-getter for England and scored 234 runs throughout the series.

Kevin Pietersen: He started off well in every match but failed to capitalise and convert it into big score. He adapted himself very well and played according to the situation and didn’t throw his wicket. His ability to come down the track and take charge on bowlers kept all the Indian bowlers on toes and his short innings were enough to put pressure.

Joe Root: The biggest positive for England team was Joe Root who not only batted well but also bowled few overs in few matches. His all-round ability makes him worth watching. His composure while playing spinners is a treat to watch. He scored one-half century in his first series. He batted with an average of 54.33 and scored 163 throughout the series.

James Tredwell: He picked-up 11 wickets with an average of 18.18 and emerged as the leading wicket taker. He made great use of the subcontinent conditions and picked up wickets in every match. His habit of sticking to basics and bowling very accurately from stumps to stump made him a lethal bowler.

Flops

Gautam Gambhir: He is going through a very rough-phase and his batting failure is reflection of that. In first one-day he looked in very good touch and he scored a well-deserved half-century. But after that he got some good starts but he failed to capitalize on them. There is no doubt on his talent but his inconsistency has overshadowed his batting talent. He has not played up to his potential in both the home series.

Ravichandran Ashwin: He didn’t perform as per the expectation throughout the series. He has picked up seven wickets with an average of 35.71. Out of his seven wickets , his four wickets have been of number 7, 8 or 9 batsman of England team and this is where the problem lies. If Ravindra Jadeja can pick-up the wickets of top order batsman, then why not Ashwin.

Jade Dernbach: This guy has been a serious problem for England. Not only he failed to pick-up wickets in the series but came out as the most expensive bowler of the series. He was bowling way outside leg to Yuvraj and got hammered for four boundaries in first ODI. His bowling was the only weak link and it was enough to keep the series victory away from the reach of England.

Eoin Morgan: He might have scored enough runs to save his position in playing eleven for England but he didn’t performed well enough for his team. He was the one from whom England expected to rise in one of the occasions in this series but he failed to do so. Thanks to Joe root who took away attention of all by playing well.

By Amit Copra
Indian Sports News Network