Combined India and Australia XI: Team of the T20I series: While the recently concluded T20I series between Australia and India down under enthralled spectators with its exhilarating dose of cricketing action over the course of three matches, the factions of the two teams stand poles apart following the close of the lop sided series. On the one hand, when the M.S Dhoni led Indian side has become the first team to whitewash the Aussies in Australia in any format since 1877; the hosts have suffered an unanticipated whipping at the hands of the visitors, particularly after bagging the ODI series convincingly by 4-1 margin.
Nonetheless, the T20I series lived up to its expectations for it endorsed three engaging and entertaining matches of ‘box office cricket’. Here’s a modest effort on our part to merge both teams and produce a combined Indo-Australian line-up which comprises of the best performers from the two camps.
- Rohit Sharma
It is unclear whether the 28 year old Mumbaikar has leafed through the pages of R.L Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but one aspect pertaining to his game is gaining more and more ground with each passing day. Even though, he hasn’t been able to establish his mettle as a good white uniform player, the elegant opener has certainly cemented his reputation as a sturdy white ball player for India. After topping the ODI batting charts with 441 runs in 5 matches, Sharma added another 143 runs to his tally (in the T20I series) to finish the capricious tour as the most efficacious batsman. He’s thereby our first opener.
Series stats- Matches 3, Runs 143, Avg.- 47.7, two 50s.
- Aaron Finch
Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians comrade Aaron Finch has been picked to partner him in the initial stages of the match. The Australian T20I skipper might not have featured in the dead rubber contest at the SCG, but he exhibited his prowess as one of the most feared batsmen in this format by amassing 118 runs from the first two contests at a startling average of 59. Together, the duo will be expected to get the team off to flying starts and open the vent for a volatile middle order assault.
Series stats- Matches 2, Runs 118, HS 74, Avg.- 59, S/R 145.67, one 50.
- VIRAT KOHLI
Is that Sylvester Stallone? Is that Arnold Schwarzenegger? No, it’s Virat Kohli. Only a nincompoop would advance to write a thesis on the kind of impact he has exerted in the series with his willow. Ask the girl who proposed to him at the stands on Sunday and she will unceasingly elucidate the antics of the numero uno T20I batsman without any hint of exaggeration. See the stats for yourself.
Series stats- Matches 3, Runs 199, HS 90*, Avg.- 199, S/R- 160.48,
three 50s.
- SHANE WATSON
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. It required a herculean effort from Watson’s bat to salvage lost pride for the home team in Aaron Finch’s absence and a humungous score of 124* in the final T20I was the perfect response to the situation. Unfortunately, his team ended up on the losing side; thanks to what has now turned into a routine top order domination from India but the interim Aussie skipper reaffirmed his competences by striking an awe-inspiring ton on a ‘pink’ Sunday evening at the SCG. Add to it the three wickets that he scalped in as many matches and what you get is a resurgent Dr. Watson without the company of Mr. Holmes.
Series stats- Batting- Matches 3, Runs 151, HS 124*, Avg.- 75.50, S/R 164.13, one 100.
Bowling- Matches 3, Wickets 3, BBI 2/24, Eco.- 6.45.
- SURESH RAINA
Bend it like Beckham. Finish it like Raina. After witnessing Team India’s heroics in their victorious T20I campaign, it wouldn’t be unjust to view the two aphorisms as parallel to each other. From stitching a colossal partnership worth 134 runs with Virat Kohli in the first T20I at Adelaide to being on the threshold of guiding his team to a clean sweep over Australia two games later, the vibrant left hander from Ghaziabad has reposed the faith shown in him by the selectors with some valiant knocks in the middle order. His retaliation has come as a huge sigh of relief for M.S Dhoni and co. especially because the ICC World T20 is just two months away.
Stats- Matches 3, Runs 90, HS 49*, Avg.- 90, S/R 152.54.
- YUVRAJ SINGH
Despite the fact that Yuvraj didn’t get the opportunity to walk out to the middle and set the 22 yards on fire up until the final match, the old warhorse didn’t shy away from his duties and responded commendably to the Captain’s call as and when he was asked to exhibit his aptitude- be it in the bowling department or in the field. In the second T20I, when Australia were well on their way to seize the target of 185 set by India, the graceful left handed all-rounder provided his team with the breakthrough by grabbing Glenn Maxwell’s wicket. Had it not been Dhoni’s stumping off Yuvraj’s left arm spin which saw Maxwell head back towards the pavilion, the story could have ended differently. You never know. He also displayed robust exuberance in the field, something which has typified the vintage Yuvraj Singh over the years. He and Raina can form an ideal finishing duo for India which is bound to lessen Dhoni’s concerns prior to the ICC World T20I which will be contested in the subcontinent.
Stats- Batting- Matches 3, Runs 15, HS 15*, S/R 125.
Bowling- 5 Overs, 36 Runs, 2 Wickets, BBI- 1/7, Eco.- 7.2.
- M.S DHONI (Captain and Wicket-Keeper)
Indeed so. One must possess the patience of an ox to match the competence of Dhoni in everyday business if not on the cricket field. From being pushed up against the wall to bouncing back the way he did truly exemplifies the perpetual spirit of this man. At a juncture when people were betting on whether he should step aside or not, the Indian limited overs skipper took just three games to hush the mounting howls of the critics. His 11* off 3 balls in the first T20I was a fitting reply to the detractors who had been proclaiming that the ‘finisher’ had himself ‘finished’. He also got his name etched on the record books by affecting the maximum number of stumpings in the history of international cricket when he surpassed Kumar Sangakkara’s feat of 138 stumpings in the 2nd T20I at the MCG. Dhoni is making a constant endeavour to remodel his outlook on his game. Yes, his role in the team might have remained unaltered but what has certainly undergone a metamorphosis is his approach towards it. The series winning captain thereby has the honour to lead this side boasting of eleven brilliant individuals.
Series stats- Batting- Matches 3, Runs 25, Avg.- 12, S/R- 208.33.
Wicket-keeping- 2 catches and 2 stumpings.
- RAVINDRA JADEJA
Jaddu can do no wrong this season. His comeback has carried into the team the lost fortune; in the absence of which the team was unable to cruise to victory despite putting up gallant fights on several occasions. The 27-year-old all-rounder from Rajkot has regurgitated his value in the side by having contributed in all the three departments. To the amusement of many cricket frenzied fans, the three dimensional cricketer has now added a fourth dimension to his gamut. Sir Jadeja now takes some time off and saves umpires. Sir is working overtime folks.
Series stats- Batting- Did Not Bat.
Bowling- 3 Matches, 12 Overs, 91 Runs, 5 Wickets, BBI- 2/21, Eco.- 7.83.
- RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN
In spite of the fact that he was dropped from the ODI team post the 2nd ODI of the VB series, India’s T20I team is unthinkable without Ashwin’s presence in it. He fared reasonably well in the 3 match series alongside Jadeja and did well to contain the batsmen from the opposition camp during the middle overs. He will have a crucial role to play in the forthcoming ICC World T20 as India’s ace spinner. He bagged 11 wickets in the previous edition of the tournament when it was hosted by Bangladesh two years ago.
Series stats- Batting- Did not bat.
Bowling- 3 Matches, 12 Overs, 91 Runs, 4 Wickets, BBI- 2/28, Eco.- 7.58.
- ASHISH NEHRA
The Indian bowling ‘attack’ badly needed a makeover. The likes of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav didn’t fail miserably in the ODI series as opposed to the display of some of the bowling units that had travelled down under in the past. Yet, the glare in the bowling department was absent; a trait which is deemed a quintessential factor to win matches in Australia. In this regard, Ashish Nehra’s retribution has come as the missing link for the team. Even though, he leaked a few runs in the last two games of the series, the Indian think tank can let out a breath for they now have an experienced campaigner of Nehra’s potential who can undertake to lead the team’s charge in the ICC World T20. His experience will surely be put to good use in the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka and the Asia Cup which follows it. Hopefully, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Barinder Sran can establish a connection with him and learn new aspects pertaining to their game which may come in handy on the long run.
Series stats- Batting- Did Not Bat.
Bowling- 3 Matches, 12 Overs, 96 Runs, BBI- 1/30, Eco.- 8.
- JASPRIT BUMRAH
He is the new kid on the block, someone who played an instrumental part behind India’s triumphant run in the T20I series. His uncanny action is here to daunt the opposition batsmen for quite some time. A proficient practitioner of the yorker, Bumrah’s career will progress at a swift pace if he pays close attention to his line. He sways a bit too much towards the leg side at times but he will keep improving as time progresses. After a prolonged wait, it finally seems as if the ‘Men in Blue’ have discovered a set of two potent death bowlers who can be entrusted with the task of bowling at the death with virtuous prowess. No wonder why Dhoni has called Boom-rah ‘‘the find of the series’’.
Series stats- Batting- Did not bat.
Bowling- 3 Matches, 11.3 Overs, 103 Runs, 6 Wickets, BBI- 3/23, Eco.-8.95.
If one evaluates the report card of both teams at the end of the series, it wouldn’t be too unfair to assume that India has levelled the series 4-4 against their Aussie counterparts (if we consider the ODI and T20I series’ as a consolidated series). The conquest has helped Team India soar to the No. 1 position in the latest ICC T20I Rankings. As far as the hosts are concerned, a few apprehensions in the batting order need to be sorted out before the commencement of the ICC World T20. Only two of the thirteen players who featured in the 3 match series have made the cut for this team. However, the Australians were by no means smudged by the tourists in the T20I series. It was simply a clinical display on India’s part which was piloted by their remarkably boisterous top order.