Australia v India 1st T20I – 5 Talking Points

India claimed victory in the first T20 international at the Adelaide oval by 39 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series of 3 matches. The victory will be a much-needed shot in the arm for an Indian side lacking confidence following their 4-1 drubbing in the ODI series.

Opting to bat first, the Indians were off to a flier as the in-form Rohit Sharma went berserk. On his way to his 20 ball 31, Sharma showed no mercy to the Australian bowlers. Shikhar Dhawan’s poor form with the bat continued as he was dismissed early in his innings. Back in the national side and back with a bang, Shane Watson succeeded in removing the openers. What followed was the Virat Kohli show. A 55 ball 90, a wonderful contribution from Suresh Raina and a late onslaught from MS Dhoni ensured that the Indian’s finished at 188/3.

Chasing a mammoth total on a batting paradise, David Warner and Aaron Finch got the Australians off to a flier. Despite the loss of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steve Smith continued the onslaught. However, spin twins Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja triggered a middle-order collapse that the Australians failed to recover from. The Aussies eventually folded up for 151 in 19.3 overs.

1. Interesting Team Selection for Both Teams

With one eye on the ICC T20 World Cup, the teams picked were quite fascinating. Suresh Raina, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya were drafted into the playing XI for the Indians. Cameron Boyce, Shane Watson, Chris Lynn, Travis Head and Shaun Tait came in for Australia. However, all eyes were on the returning stars Yuvraj Singh, Shane Watson and Ashish Nehra. Jasprit Bumrah kept his place in the team while Glenn Maxwell missed out through an injury. A few eyes were also fixed on Hardik Pandya following his interesting comments in the buildup to the game and his unusual jersey number- 228. Jasprit Bumrah continued to impress as he once again drew first blood by removing the dangerous looking David Warner.

2. Virat Kohli-Suresh Raina Partnership

Joining the team barely three days prior to the start of the T20I series, Suresh Raina wasn’t expected to play a major part in proceedings. Sent in at number 4, the southpaw played second fiddle for the most part of the partnership. The 134 run partnership between the two proved to be the turning point in the Indian innings. Virat Kohli was at his devastating best as his controlled aggression saw him smash a 55 ball 90. Batting at a strike rate of 163.33, Kohli’s innings included 9 boundaries and 2 sixes. Although Suresh Raina lost his wicket in the second ball of the final over, the duo had taken the Indians to a competitive total.

3. Australia off to a Flier

In spite of some tight bowling from Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah, the Aussies took advantage of a flat Adelaide oval deck. Aaron Finch (44) and David Warner (17) raced away to 47 within the first four overs. The wicket of Warner did little to stem the hemorrhage of runs as Steven Smith (21) continued the onslaught on the Indian bowling attack. With the asking rate going down with every passing delivery, there were a few butterflies in the stomachs of the Indian supporters.

4. Jadeja and Ashwin trigger mid-innings Aussie collapse

Not many would have expected the collapse that followed the early foundation laid by the openers. Capitalizing on the inroads made by the pacers, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja got in on the act. The spin twins triggered a major middle order collapse by picking up four wickets between them in their quota of 8 overs. Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Shane Watson and Travis Head were among the scalps claimed by the two spinners. The Aussies failed to recover from the collapse as they eventually folded up for 151 without causing much of a problem for the Indian bowlers.

5. Chris Lynn brief resurgence in vain

Debutant Chris Lynn did his utmost best to revive the situation. However, it would eventually be to no avail. Lynn smashed counterpart Hardik Pandya for a massive six and briefly attempted to put the Australians within touching distance. His eye-catching innings of 17 off 16 deliveries briefly put the Aussies in with a fighting chance. Twin strikes from Hardik Pandya and wickets for both Nehra and Bumrah eventually resulted in the closure of the Australian innings.