The 2022 T20 World Cup concluded for the Indian team with a 10-wicket loss against England in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval. The defeat has triggered a plethora of questions over the status-quo of the Indian team, be it Rohit Sharma's form as a batter or certain player selection decisions. In total, Team India played 6 matches in the T20 World Cup, winning four of them. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were undoubtedly among the best batters in the team while Arshdeep Singh could be called the finest pacer. Here we take a look at the hits and misses for Team India in the showpiece event.
KL Rahul: 3/10 (Very Poor)
Matches - 6, Runs - 128
With 2 half-centuries and 4 single-digit scores to his name, KL Rahul had a forgettable campaign in Australia. His position at the top of the batting order is bound to be questioned as the team returns home. Rahul's strike-rate and intent in the powerplay is something that belongs to a bygone era. A more positive approach at the top of the order is the need of the hour for India and perhaps the time is right to look beyond KL Rahul the opener.
Rohit Sharma: 3/10 (Very Poor)
Matches - 6, Runs - 116
Into his first ICC event as the captain of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma failed to leave a mark, both as captain and a batter. The man who has generally been incredibly reliable in ICC events could only register one half-century in the entire tournament. Won't be a surprise if he isn't a part of the Indian team in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli: 8/10 (Very Good)
Matches - 6, Runs - 296
Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Virat Kohli buried the questions about his form with his exemplary performance in the T20 World Cup. He registered a total of 4 half-centuries in 6 matches while putting in multiple match-winning performances. The only complaint that Kohli would have from himself would probably be his slow starts in a few matches.
Suryakumar Yadav: 9/10 (Very Good)
Matches - 6, Runs - 239
Rightly being called the "best T20 batter in the Indian team" at the moment, Suryakumar Yadav's performances inspired India to a couple of triumphs in the T20 World Cup. The team has been so reliant on his runs that his lack of runs against England cost them the match. It is unfair to demand consistency in a format as fickle as T20s but if Suryakumar has to become the premier batter of the side, he needs to produce the goods in big matches and against tougher opposition more often than what he is currently doing.
Hardik Pandya: 7/10 (Good)
Matches - 6, Runs - 128, Wickets - 8
Hardik, the batter, really came to the fore in the semi-final against England, scoring a 33-ball 63 after a few ordinary performances in the tournament so far. With the ball, however, Hardik delivered on multiple occasions. In fact, he was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the tournament.
Dinesh Karthik: 0/10 (Very Poor)
Matches - 4, Runs - 14
The wicket-keeper batter, brought into the team for a specialist 'finisher's role, didn't look like the man who had set the stage on fire for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. With just 14 runs in 4 matches (3 innings), Karthik left plenty to desire and was deservedly dropped in the last two matches.
Matches - 2, Runs 9
Brought into the team for the first time against Zimbabwe, Pant failed to make the opportunity count and departed early. He was persisted with against England but came in too late. Eventually, he sacrificed his wicket for Hardik Pandya who was looking in sublime form at that moment.
Ravichandran Ashwin: 5/10 (Average)
Matches - 6, Runs - 21, Wickets - 6
R Ashwin kept his cool in the opener against Pakistan to hit the winning runs, impressing everyone with his composed mindset. But, he failed to do his primary job effectively. Ashwin struggled to provide India the breakthrough when required. Though he ended up being India's third-highest wicket-taker, most of his dismissals came when India needed them the least.
Axar Patel: 3/10 (Poor)
Matches: 5, Runs - 9, Wickets - 3
Axar didn't do much as a batter when he got the opportunity to bat against Pakistan and Bangladesh. As a bowler, he only bagged wickets against Netherlands (2) and Zimbabwe (1). Against big teams, Axar couldn't have the sort of impact he was brought on for and was far from what he needed to do to become the ideal replacement for the injured Ravindra Jadeja.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4/10 (Below Average)
Matches 6, Wickets - 4
Another ordinary show from one of India's most-experienced white-ball bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar could only muster up 4 wickets in the entire campaign. The only saving grace for Bhuvi was the fact that he was fairly economical in most matches. Against England, however, he was extremely costly.
Mohammed Shami: 5/10 (Average)
Matches - 6, Wickets - 6
Arrived into the Indian team as a replacement of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami couldn't live up to the expectations. One or two wickets, here and there, did come but the impact that the team wanted from a marquee pacer like him was missing. Against England, he was taken apart, conceding 39 runs in 3 overs.
Arshdeep Singh: 7/10 (Good)
Matches - 6, Wickets - 10
Widely labelled as India's "find of the tournament", Arshdeep proved that he is ready to be an important member of the Indian team in T20Is. With 10 wickets in 6 matches, Arshdeep was India's highest wicket-taker. He did crumble under pressure on a few occasions, but that is understood considering how young and inexperienced he is.