Red hot Men in Blue

Virat Kohli and Co. were dominant in the ODIs and T20Is in South Africa, thrashing hosts 5-1 and 2-1, respectively. Rutvick Mehta rates performances of the Indian players

Virat Kohli: 10/10

Ravi Shastri reckoned journalists would need a dictionary to find new ways of describing Virat Kohli. He might have a point, for one might soon be running out of words when the captain bats with the blue jersey on. Three centuries and a 75 in six ODIs in South Africa proves Kohli is a different beast when it comes to limited-overs cricket.

Shikhar Dhawan: 8/10

Had only one score of under 20 in both the ODI and T20I series, and that's unusually consistent for Dhawan. Ensured Rohit Sharma's failures at the other end had minimal impact on the team, forging match-winning partnerships with his skipper for the second wicket. Fired in the 20-overs version too, to go along with his success in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma: 3/10

Slammed the media for questioning his bad form after his century in the fifth ODI. It was a fine knock no doubt, but doesn't hide the fact that it was his lone meaningful contribution in the tour – Tests, ODIs or T20Is. The captain and coach back him, but a semblance of consistency from Rohit would help make sense of that backing.

Ajinkya Rahane: 5/10

Was thrown back into the No. 4 mix in the ODI series after being labelled as a "reserve opener", and made a strong case for himself first up. Played the perfect second fiddle to Kohli with a calm 79 in a 270-run chase but had hardly anything else to show thereafter. That said, he should be tried at No. 4 again when India tour England.

Shreyas Iyer: 4/10

Replaced Kedar Jadhav in the playing XI for the last three games, and in the two innings that he batted, walked in during periods that needed a fine balance between quick runs and stability. Gave a decent account of himself in his second effort in trying to do that, but needs more impactful runs soon to become a regular in the ODI set-up.

MS Dhoni: 5/10

Made more headlines for his cheeky comments behind the stumps than runs in front of it. The ODI series reiterated than Dhoni is more an accumulator now than dasher, and the management might want to change his batting number where he can do justice to his new avatar. Played one whirlwind innings in the T20Is, though. And, his 'keeping remains as good as ever.

Kedar Jadhav: 4/10

Six overs, 30 runs, 0 wickets with the ball; one run in one innings with the bat: that was Kedar Jadhav's contribution in this series. Kohli said Jadhav injured his hamstring after the third ODI, and took no part in the series thereafter. But one thing's clear: he would do well to re-invent his batting to continue being a part of the team's World Cup plans.

Hardik Pandya: 4/10

India's latest blue-eyed – or hair, should we say – boy made a lot of noise in India's last couple of limited-overs series at home, but went all too quiet in South Africa. Did better with the cherry than the willow, but will need to pull up his socks in both the departments in India's overseas tours over the next couple of years.

Kuldeep Yadav: 9/10

Outfoxed batsmen while bowling on Indian pitches, but the question was could he pull it off away from home? The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. The Proteas batsmen can't play spin alright but Kuldeep made them look like fishes out of the water in their own sea. For a 23-year-old on his first tour to South Africa, Kuldeep was quite a revelation.

Yuzvendra Chahal: 8/10

Like Kuldeep, proved his credentials in overseas conditions to give ample signs to Shastri and Kohli to go with wrist-spinners in the World Cup. Was brilliant at breaking partnerships as well as chocking runs in the ODI series but went for aplenty in the two T20Is. Kohli, though, will have to be prepared to take the bad with the good.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 7/10

After showing his mastery in the Test series, Kumar was a bit off-colour in the ODI rubber. But sprang back to his best in the first T20I, becoming the second Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul. This South Africa tour had Bhuvi written all over it, one that should mark his place firmly in all three formats for India.

Jasprit Bumrah: 8/10

Limited-overs bowling is his forte, and Bumrah stuck to his guns. Showed no signs of fatigue or drop in levels in the ODIs as well as T20Is after playing his maiden Test series, and that should be his biggest takeaway from his tour. Didn't take wickets by the bulk but an economy of 3.97 across six ODIs is jaw-dropping for a death-overs specialist.

Shardul Thakur: 8/10

Despite being given just three chances across the two formats, the Mumbai bowler did his reputation no harm. Bagged four wickets in his only opportunity in the ODI series, and was steady in the two T20Is. India have a large group of fast bowlers to play around with at the moment, and Thakur deserves to be a part of it.

Manish Pandey: 7/10

Has often spoken about the need for more games to showcase his full potential, and the T20I series showed one why. On his day, Pandey can turn games around, like he did at Centurion along with Dhoni, while on the flipside, can look ordinary. He believes he can do the former a lot more times if given a longer rope, and there's no reason to disbelieve him.

Suresh Raina: 7/10

Has completely transformed his T20 game, one that should keep him in the Indian T20 scheme of things, at least for the time being. Took guard and took off from the get-go in all three outings, an ideal approach for a No. 3 in the shortest format. His fielding and off-spin was a bonus too. A positive comeback for the southpaw.

Dinesh Karthik: 6/10

Played the final match due to Kohli's injury, and smacked the first two of the six balls he faced for four. But that was that as far as Karthik in South Africa was concerned. With Dhoni choosing to rest in the upcoming tri-series, Karthik will get a chance to do a lot more as a wicketkeeper as well as a batsman.

Jaydev Unadkat: 5/10

Came into the T20I series as the hottest property in the country in the slam-bang version, with him being the richest Indian buy in the IPL auctions. Did little justice to that tag, though, even considering the unpredictability of the format. Looked a tad rusty and leaked a run too many. Not surprisingly, was dropped for the final encounter.

Axar Patel: 4/10

Dropped, six, six. That, quite simply, was Axar's South Africa sojourn. Picked as the lone frontline spinner in the final T20I, Axar bowled just the one over. He could've had a wicket off his first ball but Thakur spilled Heinrich Klaasen's offer. His next two balls went for maximums, and was taken off the attack after that eventful over.       

Note: KL Rahul, who was in the T20I squad, did not play a single game. Mohammed Shami, who was in the ODI squad, did not play a single game.