SCG - Fourth Test (starts 3rd Jan), page-44

Series player ratings: Who sizzled and who fizzled

We put on our selectors' hats to name a combined XI from the four-Test series.

Team: Marcus Harris, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Travis Head, Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

AUSTRALIA
(by Andrew Wu)

Marcus Harris (258 at 36.85) – 6The opener had an encouraging debut series with two half-centuries but the challenge now is to turn them into big hundreds. Barring a shocker against Sri Lanka, should get his passport ready for England.

Aaron Finch (97 at 16.16) – 3Results show his best chance of success in Test arena is in the middle order but will he get the chance? May well wonder what could have been if he had not hurt his finger in Perth.

Usman Khawaja (198 at 28.28) – 4Fighting half-century was crucial in Perth win but otherwise was not the batting bedrock Australia needed him to be.

Shaun Marsh (183 at 26.14) – 3Missed the chance to step up sans Steve Smith and David Warner so now under the pump for his Test spot.

Travis Head (238 at 33.85) – 6Reached double figures in every innings but, like Harris, could not turn them into tons, which has been his trait at Shield level.

Tim Paine (174 at 24.85) – 7Few Australian captains have had as tough an assignment but performed admirably with bat and gloves in tough circumstances. Far superior glovework gets him into team of the series. Will appreciate some time off.

Pat Cummins (163 at 23.28, 14 wickets at 27.78) – 8One of few Australian players who enhanced his reputation. Was the team's most reliable quick and showed big heart with his fighting knocks in the lower order. Very good series.

Mitchell Starc (13 at 34.53) – 4Numbers serviceable but don't tell true story for one-time golden arm. Had his moments but lacked consistency. Too good not to get out of slump.

Nathan Lyon (21 at 30.42) – 7.5Very good in first two Tests on pitches with more bounce but lost potency on dead tracks of Melbourne and Sydney. Showed ticker with the bat.

Josh Hazlewood (13 at 30.61) – 6Not among his better series but never gave up in tough conditions. Best economy rate of the four frontline bowlers.

Mitchell Marsh (19 at 9.5, no wickets) – 2Played just the one Test, where he failed with the bat but bowled well without reward. Needs strong finish to Shield season to push Ashes claims.

Marnus Labuschagne (38 at 38, no wickets) – 5
Like many others, batted OK until he got out. Not his best display with the ball. Now that they've picked him he deserves another chance.

Peter Handscomb (105 at 21) – 3Dropped at home for the second summer in a row after poor start to the series. Has made adjustments to his unorthodox technique but nervous wait to come to see if he holds his place for Sri Lanka Tests.

INDIA
(by Tom Decent)

Mayank Agarwal (195 runs at 65) – 7.5It was a seriously impressive start to Agarwal's Test career and has shown he has what it takes at this level. Dug in at the MCG and is surely close to a maiden Test century. What Australia would do to have someone such as Agarwal waiting in the wings.

Lokesh Rahul (57 runs at 11.4) – 2With three scores of two or below from five innings, Rahul would be disappointed with his returns. Hazlewood had the wood over Rahul, dismissing him three times in a row.

Cheteshwar Pujara (521 runs at 74.42) – 9

A worthy player of the series, Pujara’s hundreds in Adelaide and Melbourne were slightly trumped by his sensational 193 at the SCG. Blunted Australia’s attack with ease.

Virat Kohli (282 runs at 40.28) – 7A fine hundred in Perth and 82 at the MCG were the highlights for Kohli, whose influence was tamed to a certain extent by the Australians. At the start of the series the home side would have been happy if they knew Kohli would average 40 and score just one hundred. His on-field passion certainly polarised Australian crowds.

Ajinkya Rahane (217 runs at 31) – 5.5The 30-year got set a number of times but couldn’t go on and make a hundred this series. Lyon snared his wicket three times. Rahane’s diving catch to dismiss Labuschagne was a cracker.

Hanuma Vihari (111 runs at 22.2, two wickets at 47) – 4

Wasn't his best series but saved his highest score (42) of the tour for Sydney. Was one of two players in the series to have a bowling strike rate of more than 100.

Rishabh Pant (350 runs at 58.33, 20 catches) – 7A surprise packet this series, Pant outplayed his rival wicketkeeper Tim Paine with the bat and was an incredibly chirpy figure with the gloves on. His unbeaten 159 was the highest score by a wicketkeeper ever in Tests at the SCG. Some sloppy wicketkeeping at times brings his overall rating down.

Ravindra Jadeja (Seven wickets at 28.57, 90 runs at 30) – 7Played in only two Tests but was as crafty as ever with ball in hand. Accuracy and consistency have always been Jadeja’s strengths as he snared at least two wickets in every innings he bowled in.

Kuldeep Yadav (Five wickets at 19.8) – 7.5Had the ball on a string in Sydney and deserved the second five-wicket haul of his short Test career.

Mohammed Shami (16 wickets at 26.18) – 8Another frontline quick who had a decent series, Shami hit the bat hard and took regular wickets, even if his economy rate was slightly higher than some other pacemen. Took a memorable six-wicket haul in Perth.

Jasprit Bumrah (21 wickets at 17, four runs at two) – 9A surprise packet this series with his bizarre action and knack for taking big wickets. He seriously troubled the Australians and his best figures (6-33) came in Melbourne.

Murali Vijay (49 runs at 12.25) – 2An underwhelming couple of matches for the Indian opener with returns of 11, 18, 0 and 20. It was a far worse series than in 2014-15 when he plundered 482 runs in Australia.

Rohit Sharma (106 runs at 35.33) – 6Sharma only played the Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne before heading back home for the birth of his child. His 63 not out at the MCG was a highlight and it says a lot that he averaged more than all but two of Australia’s recognised batsmen (Harris and Labuschagne).

Ravi Ashwin (Six wickets at 24.83, 30 runs at 15) – 7.5Was hampered by injury but even still, Australia couldn’t win the series. Took six wickets in the Adelaide series opener but given his performances in Australia over time, deserves to enjoy the spoils of finally winning Down Under.

Ishant Sharma (11 wickets at 23.81) – 7.5The big speedster certainly improved on his overall average of 62 from previous series in Australia. He bowled some brilliant spells and some of his best ever on Australian soil. Did not play at the SCG.

Umesh Yadav (Two wickets at 69.5, six runs at six) – 2.5Not his best series and shows where he is in the bowling pecking order given he only featured in the Perth Test.