India lost to Australia in the first T20I in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20. The Men in Blue posted a giant score of 208/6 in the first innings, however, it was not enough to seal them a victory in the first of three-match series.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both failed to deliver but Hardik Pandya’s blistering unbeaten knock of 71 off 30 balls anchored the Indian innings after KL Rahul (55) and Suryakumar Yadav (46).
Kohli’s dismal was once again the talking point after the match. Nathan Ellis dismissed Virat Kohli for just two runs. The former Indian captain was coming in after scoring a magnificent hundred against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
Things went right down to the wire but it's Australia who won the first #INDvAUS T20I.#TeamIndia will look to bounce back in the second T20I.
Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/ZYG17eC71l pic.twitter.com/PvxtKxhpav
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 20, 2022
Former Indian coach, Ravi Shastri, criticized Virat Kohli for his shot selection that got him dismissed. While talking to Star Sport after the game, he said Kohli didn’t have to go aerial at that stage of the game. He said:
“The kind of game he has got, there is no need for that kind of shots that early. Kohli has got to get in and run those extra runs. He has got a hundred on his back and shouldn’t waste good form. He needs to give himself time in the middle.”
Ravi Shastri added:
“A player of that quality doesn’t need to go in the air that much, especially on tracks like this. At his best, he is a superb place of the ball, he is a fine placer of the ball. He can hit those big shots in the latter half of the innings.”
Australia chase down India’s target with four balls to spare
Australia launched a perfect counter-attack to chase down the target with four balls to spare. While Cameron Green (61) gave the side a perfect start, Matthew Wade (45*) finished off the proceedings in style. The tourists clobbered 55 runs in last 20 deliveries to take the game home.
India missed Jasprit Bumrah‘s services and the Indian think tank decided to give the star pacer some additional rest. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel were taken to the cleaners by the Aussies, conceding 52 and 49 runs respectively in the individual four overs.
The Men in Blue were also pretty sloppy on the field, dropping three catches in total. In the post-match presentations, Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, blamed bowling and fielding for the loss.
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