It was a high-scoring affair as India began the T20I series with a thrilling 2-wicket win over Australia in the first match played at Vizag. After opting to bowl first, Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners as Australia posted 208 for 3 in 20 overs.
In reply, Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliance along with Ishan Kishan showed their class before Rinku Singh held onto their nerves to help the Indian team win on the last delivery.
The second T20I promises to be an exciting encounter as the Indian team looks to continue their winning streak while the Aussies are hoping for a good comeback to level the series.
Both teams have good quality players that can change the course of the game and help their countries register victory.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Watch Out For:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
The left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal looked in good touch putting pressure on the Aussies bowling. Chasing down 209 runs to win, he played with intent not allowing them to settle and making sure that they keep the momentum going for India.
Jaiswal showed intent right from word go hitting a quickfire 21 off 8 deliveries as he was brilliantly caught at mid-off. He would be looking to showcase his attacking skills right from the word go and help Team India lay a strong foundation for a decent total or chase down the target.
The explosive left-handed batter would be looking to showcase his class and make sure that India goes 2-0 up in the series.
- Josh Inglis
Josh Inglis played a brilliant innings for Australia in the first T20I match. He came after the fall of Matthew Short’s wicket. He looked in sublime touch with attacking shots putting Prasidh Krishna under pressure and making life tough for Indian bowlers.
He kept hitting boundaries and sixes at will keeping the pressure on the Indian bowlers. It was a superb knock with some big shots. Inglis was eventually dismissed for 110 which helped the Australian team post a competitive total of 208 for 3.
Inglis would play a key role in helping Australia showcase his talent and keep the momentum. He has the ability to hit big shots and help them to level the series at 1-1.
- Suryakumar Yadav
The captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front. He showed his class by playing attacking shots in the first six overs and making life tough for Aussies bowlers. After the field restrictions, Surya kept momentum going taking singles and hitting boundaries.
Suryakumar made the batting look easy after the fall of Ishan Kishan’s wicket. He did not allow the bowlers to settle and made the chase easy. It was a superb effort by the T20I expert as he was dismissed with a stunning catch by Aaron Hardie for 80 off 42 deliveries. For his brilliant knock, Surya was named the player of the match.
Surya would be hoping for another brilliant knock and keep the pressure on the Aussies’ bowling that might show his abilities to help Team India go 2-0 up in the series.
- Jason Behrendroff
The left-arm pace bowler Jason Behrendroff had a decent outing in the first T20I match. He bowled with great control not allowing the Indian batters to score runs easily and picked the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav with a stunning catch by Aaron Hardie.
Behrendroff looked impressive in the initial overs and showed his abilities with the new ball. He would be key in tomorrow’s match putting pressure on Indian openers. He will play a key role in helping Australia pick early wickets and stop the run flow if the bowlers do not take wickets.
- Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar was the pick of bowlers for India in the first T20I. He bowled with great control in the first six overs and kept Australian batters under check.
It was a brilliant bowling by Mukesh Kumar in the death overs not allowing him to hit big shots nailing the yorkers. His ability to showcase his skills under immense pressure would be helpful in tomorrow’s match.
With the pitch at Trivandrum likely to help pacers, he would be key for India in picking wickets and stopping run flow.
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