India, as expected, beat Zimbabwe in the ODI and T20 series, with come of MS Dhoni's men impressing, while the others left a lot to be desired. While the ODI series only had one team in it, India were tested to the hilt by Zimbabwe in the T20s, in the process, giving us a glimpse of who might be cut out for further international cricket.
Here are the player ratings of the 16 men who toured Zimbabwe for the three ODIs and three T20s – India beat Zimbabwe 3-0 in the one-day international, before scraping home 2-1 in the shortest format series.
MS Dhoni (Captain): Led his team well, like he always does. Knows when to use the spinners and how best to utilise Jasprit Bumrah, who has been a revelation, and continues to be. Took a couple of risks in the death overs (even if he had little other options), for instance, giving the ball to Barinder Sran, who struggled, before holding on for the win in the 3rd T20.
The major worry, though, remains Dhoni's batting. The skipper only got two opportunities to bat in six matches, but in both those games, the right-hander showed signs of his powers waning again. In the first opportunity, Dhoni had the chance to guide India to a win like he has done so many times in the past, and while the Zimbabwe death bowling was outstanding in that game – the first T20 – you feel the Dhoni of old would have finished that match off with ease. In his second opportunity, with India batting first in the decider, Dhoni struggled to find his range, while managing just nine from 13 balls. Rating: 6/10.
KL Rahul: With scores of 100, 33, 63, 0, 47 and 22, Rahul was India's best batsman on the tour. While he is a regular squad member of the Test unit, these performances against Zimbabwe might just convince the selectors to pick him for future limited-overs tours as well. Rating: 9/10.
Karun Nair: Only got to play two matches. Failed in the first, scoring just 7, but was decent in the second, managing 39, albeit from 68 balls. Still very much a work in progress. Rating: 5/10.
Faiz Fazal: Made full use of his one opportunity on the tour, striking an unbeaten 55 (61b, 7x4, 1x6). Difficult to judge from just that one innings, but the left-hander was elegant and showed plenty of promise. At 30, though, how many more chances is he going to get? Rating 7/10.
Mandeep Singh: Too rash with the bat, while opening all three T20 matches. Rode his luck a bit, but scores of 31 and 52 suggest there is plenty of talent in there, just a matter of bringing some solid temperament into play. Rating: 7/10.
Ambati Rayudu: When you look at purely his scores in the tournament – 62, 41, 19 and 20 – it is not too bad. But, there was just that feeling of, "c'mon, it needs to be a lot better" from the right-hander. Rayudu has not shown enough signs of growth, and now that he is past 30 – he needed to put in a 9/10 or 10/10 performance like Rahul on this tour -- it is surely time to look at younger players, with more all-round skills. Rating 6/10.
Manish Pandey: Got an opportunity to bat in just two matches – he did get a chance in a third one, but that was just for one ball, so let's not count that – and played a good innings in the first T20. But, in a big chase, the responsibility was on Pandey to take India home, instead he threw his wicket away at a crucial juncture. Was run out first ball in the final match of the tour. That innings against innings, though, still suggests he is set to be one of the mainstays for India in the middle order. Rating: 6/10.
Kedar Jadhav: Another one of those older batsmen who keeps knocking on the door with solid performances in domestic cricket. Gave away his wicket cheaply in the first T20, but played a match-winning knock in the final match. Rating 7/10.
Axar Patel: Played all six matches, and while he only picked up five wickets, he was extremely difficult to get away. Consistently economical throughout. There were signs of his batting powers returning in IPL 2016, and he continued to show those signs with a couple of good knocks. Play more like this, and he can threaten Ravindra Jadeja, who cannot be termed an all-rounder anymore, for a place in the first-team ODI setup again. Rating: 8/10.
Yuzvendra Chahal: Impressed on debut, was better in his second match, and while he blew a little hot and cold in the T20s, showed why Virat Kohli trusts him so much at RCB. Definitely one to watch out for. Rating: 8/10.
Jasprit Bumrah: Dhoni's spearhead on this tour. Did whatever the captain asked of him. Bowled with pace, put those searing yorkers in and even moved the ball around a little bit, while picking up 14 wickets in the six matches. A Test debut should not be too far away. Rating: 9/10.
Barinder Sran: India's second best fast bowler on the tour. Moved the new ball around prodigiously. If he can add a bit more consistency in the death overs, he could turn out to be a limited-overs regular. Rating 8/10.
Dhawal Kulkarni: Was impressive throughout, apart from one T20 game. Was always a danger to the batsmen when he hit the right lengths. Needs the wicket and conditions to be helpful for him to really have an impact consistently, though. Rating: 7/10.
Rishi Dhawan: Got the one game, and will wish he hadn't. Went for 42 runs in his four overs, with one wicket, and was like a rabbit caught in headlights when India needed a match-winner with the bat in the first T20. While it is a little unfair to judge him on just one match, only based on that, Dhawan has a lot of improving to do. Rating: 2/10.
Jaydev Unadkat: Another bowler who struggled in the one game he played. Gave away 43 runs in four overs without picking up a wicket, and looked lost the moment Elton Chigumbura started to go into smash-town. Rating: 2/10.
Jayant Yadav: The only player who did not get to play a match for India on this Zimbabwe tour. Maybe that is not such a bad thing, considering how Unadkat and Dhawan went. Rating: N/A.
