India Player Ratings from Asia Cup 2023 clash vs Pakistan as Kishan, Hardik revive Men in Blue after top-order disaster

Team India’s Asia Cup 2023 campaign got off to an underwhelming start as rain washed out their opening game against Pakistan in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Rohit Sharma and Co. were all over the place in the powerplay. Shaheen Shah Afridi led the way for Pakistan with four scalps as all 10 Indian wickets fell to pace. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 266, but the heavens opened up to ensure that their arch-rivals didn’t get to bat.

Here are India’s player ratings from their Asia Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan.

Asia Cup 2023: Only Kishan and Hardik cross the 20-run mark in Pallekele

Rohit Sharma: 3/10

Rohit started off fairly solidly, but he was dismissed soon after a short rain break. Shaheen set him up perfectly, teasing him with two that nipped away before bringing one back in through the gate. The Indian skipper failed to come out on top in a battle that was expected to headline the high-profile clash.

Shubman Gill: 1/10

Gill was arguably the rustiest batter out in the middle. He never seemed to be in any kind of control against the moving ball, and it was a miracle that he even survived 32 deliveries. The opener was castled by Haris Rauf in the 15th over.

Virat Kohli: 2/10

Kohli lasted just seven balls. Although he signaled his intent with the crispest of cover drives off Naseem Shah, he was wholly unconvincing off the two balls he faced from Shaheen. The star batter chopped on without any foot movement, with the ball not justifying such a dismissal.

Shreyas Iyer: 4/10

Shreyas sauntered in and tried to impose himself on the game, striking two boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking. However, while he managed to time the ball quite sweetly, he was dismissed while playing the pull once again. Nevertheless, there were encouraging signs from a player who had been out of action for several months.

Ishan Kishan: 9/10

Batting at No. 5 in place of the injured KL Rahul, Kishan dispelled claims that he is entirely hopeless in the middle order. The southpaw carried over his good ODI form into a different role, counter-attacking smartly and taking India to a respectable total. He struck nine fours and two sixes in his excellent 82-run knock.

Hardik Pandya: 9/10

Hardik partnered Kishan well, making the highest score of the Indian innings. Known to raise his game against Pakistan, the all-rounder rotated strike well and capitalized on anything in his arc. He looked set for a hundred before being deceived by a Shaheen slower ball.

Ravindra Jadeja: 3/10

Jadeja looked nervy out in the middle, barely finding the middle of his bat. The left-hander made 14 runs before playing an airy drive outside off against Shaheen, who he should’ve looked to play out.

Shardul Thakur: 4/10

Included to boost batting depth at No. 8, Thakur managed just three runs. He tried to work the ball towards the leg-side but only ended up spooning a catch to a diving Shadab Khan.

Kuldeep Yadav: 2/10

For a batter with a first-class ton to his name, Kuldeep just can’t seem to place the ball in the gaps. He struggled to get off strike before nicking off in the penultimate over of the innings.

Mohammed Siraj: 5/10

Siraj had just one ball to face in the innings and receives a standard rating.

Jasprit Bumrah: 7/10

Bumrah dazzled with a couple of impressive strokes lower down the order once again. The ace spearhead ended up with the third-highest score of India’s innings.