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Even after some precise death bowling from Australia
reduced India to 174 for 9, they managed to defend the score and win the series
with one game remaining. On a two-paced Raipur course, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar
Patel contributed significantly to India’s successful defence, returning
combined scores of 8-0-33-4.
In this Twenty20 International, Travis Head, the lone
member of Australia’s World Cup-winning XI, came out swinging in the chase,
taking Deepak Chahar for 4,4,0,6,4,4 in the third over. As the supporters of
India started to experience déjà vu, Axar ended Head’s innings on 31 off 16
balls.
Bishnoi, on the other hand, was a danger to the pads
and stumps as he let rip one after another. Australia’s middle order struggled
in the wake of Glenn Maxwell’s departure, but the fast increasing asking rate
proved too formidable.
The offensive efforts of Jitesh Sharma and Rinku
Singh, who had taken over for Ishan Kishan, were the reason India managed to
reach a respectable total. Only two Indian batters, Rinku and Jitesh, reached
150 or higher on the scoreboard.
Jitesh, who had made his T20I debut at the Asian Games
earlier this year, and Rinku had to save the innings with captain Suryakumar
Yadav also going down cheaply. After gently tapping the ball into the gaps,
Rinku, who came into bat in the ninth over, hit a devastating reverse-sweep six
off Matt Short. He charged at Ben Dwarshuis in the next over and hit him for a
wide long-on six that was over 100 metres in length.
One of the most potent hitters in both the Indian
Premier League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the country’s domestic Twenty20
competition, Jitesh continued to take chances and keep the scoreboard moving.
After hitting three sixes, he tried to hit another one in the 19th over but was
holed out.
In the powerplay, Bishnoi and Axar each faced up to
bowl and gave up just two boundaries between them.
Josh Philippe’s off stump was knocked out for eight by
Bishnoi’s opening ball. During the fifth over of India’s defence, Axar pulled
off a top-edged sweep off Head. Axar fired stump-to-stump darts, dismissing Ben
McDermott and Hardie in the process.
After that, Chahar—who was making his first appearance
for India since December 2022—did his share with the old ball, getting rid of
Tim David (19) and Short (22) with slower variations. Wade scored two fours and
two sixes in his unbeaten 36 from 23 balls, but it was unable to salvage the
series.