The first T20 match between India and Australia.
As per the pitch report, the pitch was a belter-like highway and excellent for batting as it proved as the Indians managed to score 208 after losing 6 wickets.
The T20 match series against the world champion Australia and South Africa is going to be very good practice for Team India.
DK was preferred ahead of Pant as a specialist finisher. Harshal Patel was in the team after he came back from the injury.
So India opted to go with 2 finishers, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik.
Axar replaced the injured Jadeja as it fits the look-alike Jadeja. Bumrah was not included in the team.
Initially, Australian captain Aron Finch won the toss and as expected he opted to field first.
The Indian openers Rohit and Rahul started as per the latest template they have been using since last six to eight months. Yes the template of going after the bowling from bigging.
Rohit started hitting the ball from the first over itself.
Unfortunately, Rohit got out early just scoring 11 runs of 9 balls, however, he hit one big six.
Looking to the history of Virat Kohli of getting out 5 times against Zampa, the Aussie captain, Aron Finch introduced him.
Zampa bowled 3 dot balls and on the 4th ball Kohli was able to take only a single, so that added little bit of pressure on Kholi of dot balls he tried to hit over mid-on in the next over and was caught on mid-on scoring just 2 runs.
So very good tactics from the Aussie captain.
At the end of powerplay, India was 46/2 losing Rohit and Virat.
KL Rahul, kept of scoring fours and sixers and scored his half-century but could not last for long and was caught in deep at 55.
Hardik Pandya played a brilliant inning and scored 71* (not out) but all his efforts went in vain.
Australia started their innings with the very first ball bang in the stands, Aron Finch hit a sixer on the very first ball.
Interestingly Cameroon Green came with Aron Finch to open their innings and both of them started scoring runs and maintaining the required run rate.
Cameroon Green was more aggressive as he continued to hit the ball all around the park. Green scored his half-century; however, he was dropped by Axar Patel when Green was n 39 runs.
Australia once looked like they will not be able to chase down the total but Mathew Wade and Cameroon Green kept on scoring runs and they scored 55 runs in the last 3.2 overs and achieved the target of massive 209 runs in 19.2 overs.
Australia is now leading the 3-match series by 1-0.
Five Reasons India could not defend the 208 runs.
- Sloppy Fielding
- Dropped 3 catches at a crucial time.
- Could not contain runs in death overs.
- Australia scored 55 runs in the last 3.2 overs.
- The inability of bowling yorkers in death overs.
The second T20 match will be played at Nagpur on 23rd September.
Rohit spoke during the toss yesterday that Bumrah has been rested for the first match and he will be available from the second match.
It will be very interesting to see how Bumrah holds the flow of runs in death overs and get India a much-needed victory in the upcoming T20 matches against Australia and South Africa before the T20 world cup.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022 all teams list