India World Cup report card: Dhoni, Shami top the class; Jadeja, Rohit flunk

India have come out swinging in defence of their World Cup title, winning all six of their group games. They are one of only two sides to remain unbeaten, the other being New Zealand, and are the only side to bowl out every one of their opponents.

In doing so, they have made a mockery of all those who doubted this team’s credentials, present company included, and have established themselves as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Here’s how we think each of the players have done so far:

MS Dhoni – 9/10 6 matches, 166 runs, 83.00 avg, 106.41 strike-rate, 1 fifty

Dhoni has been aggressive, determined and creative while leading India to six consecutive victories. His decision to put a fielder practically behind the wicketkeeper against Zimbabwe may have been a strange one but it showed he is willing to experiment and try new things, even at the risk of ridicule. He has given his bowlers attacking fields and they have rewarded him with wicket-taking bowling.

India needed his bat in only two of their six games but in both of them he led his team from a position of peril to one of celebration. Against Zimbabwe, he was as cold-hearted and calculating as a serial killer while adding 196 runs with Suresh Raina to win a game India could easily have lost.

He may have a few more grey hairs than he did in 2011, but he is still every bit the rock on which his team relies under pressure.

Mohammed Shami – 9/10 5 matches, 15 wickets, 12.60 avg, 4.39 econ rate, 17.2 strike-rate

Quick, disciplined and incisive, Shami has been the strike-bowler India desperately hoped he would be. He has dismissed at least one opposing opening batsmen inside the first 10 overs in four of the five matches he has started, and has bowled with control and invention at the death overs, a time when India’s bowlers have tended to trip over their own feet.

In a tournament where batsmen have scored runs like never before, Shami’s economy rate of 4.39 is more than a run lower than his career rate of 5.52. Only Australia’s Mitchell Starc has taken more wickets (16 to 15) and only Starc has a better average (8.50 to 12.60).

Mohit Sharma – 8/10 6 matches, 10 wickets, 20.30 avg, 4.41 econ rate, 27.6 strike-rate

Mohit has been India’s second best seamer in the group stage and to think he wasn’t even supposed to be in the squad. He has bowled with surprising pace – often hitting 140 kph – thanks to a change in his run-up and his bouncer has been direct and deadly. His accuracy and consistency have ensured there is no let up in pressure once the opening bowlers are taken off.

R Ashwin – 7/10 6 matches, 12 wickets, 21.50 avg, 4.52 econ rate, 28.5 strike-rate

Ashwin has been the most surprising success for India. He got tonked against Zimbabwe but influenced every one of India’s other five wins. He tied up Pakistan in the first game, bowling three maidens, then played the strike-bowler against South Africa and the U.A.E.. He has bowled with flight and guile and varied his pace rather than his deliveries to keep the batsmen guessing.

Against Zimbabwe, however, he resorted to bowling flat and quick when under attack. It is a tendency he will have to watch against better team in the knockouts.

Umesh Yadav – 7/10 6 matches, 10 wickets, 21.80 avg, 4.70 econ rate, 27.8 strike-rate

Umesh has always bowled fast. In this tournament, he has discovered control. His economy rate is a run lower than his career rate. He has harried opening batsmen and forced them to think about survival first and attack second. With a little more luck, he would have had more than 10 wickets to show for his efforts.

Together with Shami and Mohit, he has formed a seam attack that has hunted as a pack. Each one appears to know their role and have performed them diligently. It is the main reason India is the only team in the tournament to have bowled out ever one of their opponents.

Shikhar Dhawan – 7/10 6 matches, 337 runs, 56.16 avg, 94.13 strike-rate, 2 hundreds, 1 fifty

Dhawan began the tournament with 73 against Pakistan and 137 against South Africa, playing crucial roles in India’s two biggest wins in the group. Since then, he has one hundred against Ireland three scores under 20. He has looked fluent and unstoppable in one game, halting and subdued in the next. He has thrived outside offstump and also chopped the ball onto his stumps twice.

Dhawan is the seventh highest run-scorer in the tournament, but everyone ahead of him in the standings averages at least 11 runs more than his 56.16, an indication of his feast or famine record. Taking the bad with the good has always been part of the Dhawan package.

Suresh Raina – 7/10 6 matches, 212 runs, 70.66 avg, 111.57 strike-rate, 1 hundred, 1 fifty

When you bat at No. 5 in one-day cricket, your role more often than not is to score fast and damn the consequences. That is Raina’s lot in this team. Against Pakistan, he was promoted to No. 4 and responded with a sparkling 74 from 56 balls that shattered Pakistan’s will. Against Zimbabwe, he came in with India 71 for 3 and crafted a belligerent, unbeaten century that maintained India’s perfect record.

He also bowled brilliantly against Ireland, tying them up after the openers torched India’s seam bowlers.

Virat Kohli – 6/10 6 matches, 301 runs, 75.25 avg, 85.26 strike-rate, 1 hundred

The newly installed anchor around which India’s batting is supposed to resolve began with a stately hundred against Pakistan but has since underwhelmed. He had two opportunities to seize a tricky chase – the first against West Indies and then against Zimbabwe – but uncharacteristically handed them back after getting into the 30s. His stats aren’t bad but they are helped by unbeaten knocks against UAE and Ireland when the result was never in doubt. India expect more from Kohli. Knowing Kohli, he will expect more of himself.

Ajinkya Rahane – 5/10 6 matches, 145 runs, 36.25 avg, 98.63 strike-rate, 1 fifty

Rahane has largely disappointed in this tournament. His blistering 79 from 60 balls against South Africa was an audacious innings and served notice India would not be pushovers for anyone. But that is his only significant contribution. Like Kohli, he failed to stick around against West Indies and Zimbabwe and has passed 20 in only one other innings – an unbeaten 33 against Ireland with no pressure for miles around.

Rohit Sharma – 3/10 6 matches, 159 runs, 31.80 avg, strike-rate 85.48, 2 fifties

Rohit continues to find creative ways to get out. Take away his two half-centuries against the U.A.E. and Ireland and he averages 9.50 against the Test playing countries. Dhoni may have said we shouldn’t just Rohit’s form based on the runs he has scored but there is no other way to judge him. He has been impatient and impetuous and his lack of runs at the top is a big concern heading into the knockouts.

Ravindra Jadeja – 2/10 6 matches, 18 runs, 6 avg, 56.25 strike-rate 6 matches, 7 wickets, 37 avg, 5.32 econ rate, 41.7 strike-date

Jadeja has been a walking wicket with the bat. So much so that Dhoni publicly called him out and said he needs to improve. This is the same Dhoni who defends Rohit. Jadeja has also been India’s least effective bowler, with the fewest wickets, highest average, economy rate and strike-rate.

It is not a good combination. In theory Jadeja adds balance to the side but in practice, it hasn’t worked. On the bright side, he is still in no danger of losing his place because India are not going to mess with a “winning combination”.

*Bhuvneshwar Kumar played only one game and so did not get graded.