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Report card: 10/10 for Pujara, Jadeja; 4 for Tendulkar

It was India at its dominating best at home as they whitewashed a hapless Australia 4-0 in a lopsided Test series.

India's first 4-0 sweep saw them avenge the 4-0 humiliation suffered Down Under in 2011-12.

Australia's depleted team never got going in the series and all the Tests finished within four days, only the Mohali match going into the fifth day after Day One was washed out.

India's dominating show was built on impressive performances by several young players. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin made most of helpful conditions to grab wickets aplenty, while Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay scored runs in tons against an average Aussie attack.

Interestingly, however, some senior players disappointed, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, in particular, failing to come good with the bat.

Here is look at how India's players fared in the four-match series:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain): 8/10

Mahendra Singh Dhoni achieved a lot of success in the limited-overs' format but was unable to replicate that glory in Tests. This 4-0 series whitewash over Australia will definitely rank as his best achievement in Test cricket as the India captain.

Dhoni led from the front with an aggressive double century in the first Test in Chennai that kick-started India's dominating showing in the series.

His wicketkeeping was below par, though. He dropped quite a few catches in the series and also fumbled behind the stumps. But, to his defence, it was tough to keep on some of the pitches which had a lot of uneven bounce.

It was only apt that Dhoni hit the winning runs in the last two Tests, something we have been accustomed to seeing in the limited-overs format.

He finished the series with an impressive tally of 326 runs, at an average of 81.50, and had five catches and five stumpings against his name.

Vijay batted with maturity

Murali Vijay: 9/10

Except for a blunder in the first Test, in Chennai, when he threw his wicket away by a rash shot, Murali Vijay was the pillar of India's batting right through the four matches.

A determined Vijay, keen to make up for that early mistake, compensated in style, hammering back- to-back centuries in Hyderabad and Mohali, before a patient half-century on a tough wicket in Delhi.

Vijay was India's highest run-getter in the series, with 430 runs, at an average of 61.42, incuding two centuries and a fifty.

He was dropped from the team in the past for underperformance and inconsistency, but after this showing Vijay proved he is here to stay.

Big run-maker Pujara stood out

Cheteshwar Pujara: 10/10

India's new 'Wall' Cheteshwar Pujara does remind one of Rahul Dravid a lot. Just like the former India great, Pujara believes in batting for a long spells and scoring big. That is what he did against Australia.

He cracked a magnificent double century (224) in Hyderabad to set up India's huge win. Except for twin failures in Mohali, he scored in almost every innings.

In the final Test, in Delhi, Pujara scored two half-centuries when sent out to bat as an opener. He carried India to victory with a fluent knock of 82 from 92 balls despite batting with a painful finger after he being by a short ball from James Pattinson in the first innings.

Dhawan made a memorable debut

Shikhar Dhawan: 10/10

Shikhar Dhawan made a smashing entry to Test cricket, blasting the fastest century by a debutant. However, his moment under the sun was overshadowed by injury, rendering him unfit for the subsequent Test in Delhi.

On his debut in Mohali, the Delhi left-hander hammered 187 from 174 balls, hitting 33 fours and two sixes and shred the Aussie bowling into pieces. He shared a 289-run opening stand with Murali Vijay to lay the foundations for a big win.

Sehwag was a big flop

Virender Sehwag: 2/10

Virender Sehwag played the first two Tests before being dropped following three successive failures. He scored just 27 runs in the three innings and never looked comfortable against the Australian pacers despite batting with spectacles.

One wonders how he will force his way back into the Indian team given the good performances of Dhawan and Vijay at the top of the order.

Also read

- Is there a way back for Sehwag

Kohli didn't build his score after getting starts

Virat Kohli: 8/10

Virat Kohli had a relatively quiet series by his standards.

The right-hander started with a century (107) in the first Test in Chennai and also hit a half-century, but, otherwise, failed to carry on after getting starts.

He scored 284 runs, at an average of 56.80, in the series despite promising a lot.

Sachin struggled against the spinners

Sachin Tendulkar: 4/10

Sachin Tendulkar also failed to impress with the bat. The 39-year-old showed a lot of promise when he cracked a fluent 81 in Chennai, but, thereafter, struggled against the Australian spinners.

Tendulkar looked suspect against spin -- Nathan Lyon dismissing him leg before wicket twice in Delhi.

He also fell to part-time spinner Steven Smith in Mohali after adopting strange tactics and playing with caution.

Tendulkar, who also failed to make an impact with the bat in the series against England, scored only 192 runs in the just-concluded Tests, at an average of 32, with only a half-century in seven innings.

 

Rahane would love to forget his nightmare debut

Ajinkya Rahane: 2/10

Ajinkya Rahane finally made his debut in the Delhi Test, after spending nearly 15 months on the bench, but failed to fire with the bat.

One of the most consistent batsmen in domestic cricket for the last few years, he was touted as a good prospect for Test cricket but he left many disappointed with his temperament in Delhi.

Rahane succumbed to pressure and fell to spinners in both the innings. In fact, in the second innings he needlessly tried a reckless lofted shot against Glenn Maxwell and holed out to midwicket.

Rahane would love to forget his nightmare debut, scoring just seven and one in each innings.

Jadeja proved an asset with bat and ball

Ravindra Jadeja: 10/10

Ravindra Jadeja was India's star of the series. With the ball, he delivered almost every time he was summonded to bowl.

He was rewarded for his consistent performances through the series with a deserved career-best five-wicket haul in the final Test in Delhi.

The Saurashtra lad also proved his utility with the bat in the first innings, hitting 43 from 49 balls, that helped India recover and go past Australia's first innings total.

He was the second highest wicket-taker for India in the series, with 24 wickets, at an average of 17.45, while scoring 85 runs in five innings.

Also Read

- An all-round Ravindra Jadeja show!

Ashwin made a good comeback after failure in England series

R Ashwin: 9/10

R Ashwin was India's top wicket-taker and played a huge role in India's series sweep.

The inexperienced Australian batsmen could never come to grips with his guile. The Chennai bowler made a strong comeback following a disappointing series against England.

Ashwin started with a bang, claiming 12 wickets in the first Test in Chennai and troubled the Australians right through.

He finished with 29 wickets, at an impressive average of 20.10.

Bhuvneshwar starred with the new ball

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 7/10

Bhuvneshwar Kumar impressed with his good showing in his first Test series. Playing on pitches that hardly offered help to pace bowlers, he held his own with some good performances, especially with the new ball.

The UP pacer's three-wicket burst in the second innings in Mohali helped India clinch an unlikely victory late on the fifth day.

Dhoni believes Kumar will be very handy in helpful conditions pacers encounter in South Africa and Australia.

He finished with six wickets, at an average of 39.83.

Ishant shone in patches

Ishant Sharma: 5/10

Ishant Sharma shone in patches. He was only effective when there was a bit of reverse swing on offer; otherwise, he disappointed.

He bowled as many as 97 overs in the series, but managed only seven wickets, at 37.85, with a strike rate of 83.

Ojha had a lowly strike rate of 73.8

Pragyan Ojha: 6/10

Pragyan Ojha must consider himself unlucky to have been dropped after finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the England series.

He played in the last two Tests but was overshadowed by Jadeja, who claimed wickets at regular intervals.

Ojha took seven wickets but those did not come easy, as he had a lowly strike rate of 73.8, while Ashwin and Jadeja's strike rates were in the 40s.

Bhajji's performance was below par

Harbhajan Singh: 2/10

Harbhajan Singh's career was all but over after a below-average performance against England. But he received a fresh lease of life when Dhoni preferred him ahead of Ojha for the first two Tests. The veteran spinner, however, failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

He picked just five wickets in two Tests, at a strike rate of 100, and was promptly dropped after the Hyderabad Test.

It will be nearly impossible for him to break into the Test side again with the other three spinners doing well and a host of away tours lined up in the next 18 months.