Virat Kohli was disappointed. Despite all the intensity that the Indian skipper brings to the field, he had let the ball slip between his legs as he covered the penultimate delivery of the 49th. That misfield cost three races. Two catches had been scored and field errors had already made things more difficult for the struggling players.
Perhaps more than Alex Carey’s shot that missed what had happened three balls earlier left Kohli in dismay at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
Steve Smith had just reached his fastest ODI century, the third fastest by an Australian, on 62 balls, after going bowling. It came after captain Aaron Finch overcame a nervous start with 114 of 124 balls. And Glenn Maxwell’s 19-ball storm resulted in 45 runs, catapulting Australia to 374/6 in 50 overs.
Until three weeks ago, all three were fighting in IPL. It took them a home game, the first international cricket match since March to be played in front of the fans, to shed the failures of the T20s and embrace success in the ODIs. A perfect gearshift to suit the format saw Australia have less than six runs over to 36 and yet still scored the third-highest total against India in the format.
To have any chance of pursuing such a huge target, India had to go into attack mode early, but in a planned way. Instead, the higher order, including Kohli, grabbed the extra bounce that Josh Hazlewood generated with his bowling on a slow pitch. Shikhar Dhawan (74) and Hardik Pandya (90, their highest ODI score) battled for a 128-race fifth out of the window, but India still fell behind by 66 runs.
Mayank Agarwal was the first to leave when he attempted to hit a Hazlewood delivery that was dug shortly. He took the top edge and Maxwell held an easy catch. Kohli was then brought down on 1 by Adam Zampa, who seized a simple opportunity.
There was an impressive six movie against Pat Cummins. But Hazlewood ended what promised to be a major coup.
Kohli advanced to play a spinning shot, but the extra rebound Hazlewood had drawn impeded control and the inopportune effort was caught by Finch in the midwicket. Shreyas Iyer’s technique against the short ball was immediately tested by Hazlewood and the No. 4 looked away and the ball drifted off the bat held on defense. It became a simple catch for goalkeeper Alex Carey. With one ball remaining in the 10th, India dropped to 80/3.
Those layoffs took the life of the Indian chase after a great start provided by Mitchell Starc, the wayward 11-ball first to hit 20 runs. Still, it seemed like they had an outside chance until Dhawan and Pandya were together. Both fell to Zampa’s leg twist in the 39th.
Although Pandya starred with the bat, not being able to bowl since his back surgery hurt India. Playing with five pitchers, Kohli’s team lacked an additional option as Australian batters steadily took over.
Finch, who was playing for Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL, had struggled and was even eliminated. “The T20 can be tough. You can’t be at your best if you’re trying to be aggressive early in innings. You take risks early in the game, ”Finch had lamented upon entering this series.
Calculated batting
Finch didn’t take a chance. Let’s let David Warner be the aggressor as he weathered the Indian beat from the start. Jasprit Bumrah and Navdeep Saini clocked over 140 km / h consistently and Mohammed Shami struggled both at times with his excellent line. But this was cricket for over 50s and they weren’t in a rush.
It took until the 28th before Shami took Warner through the first wicket, but Finch was ready. Next to him was Smith, who was more aggressive than Warner. They both went after leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who gave away 89 in 10 overs, mostly for an Indian spinner on ODIs.
To make matters worse, DRS canceled a leg before the decision against Smith against Ravindra Jadeja. Smith raised the ante from 37, when he hit the left arm wheel for three fours. Australia’s execution rate skyrocketed from there. At the other end, Finch completed his 17th century ODI with 117 balls.
When Finch was eliminated by Bumrah in the 40th, Australia was far from done. Maxwell, rusty in IPL, played some improbable shots and the Indian bowlers had no answers.
Except for Shami and Jadeja, the other three pitchers had more than seven runs per over. India had to persist with them due to the absence of an off-road bowling alley.
Pandya’s plight
At the post-game press conference, Pandya acknowledged that the team’s management should investigate his inability to bowl. “I’m not ready to play yet when it comes to my bowling. I’m bowling on the nets but looking at a long-term goal. I am following a process. The World Cups are there, so I don’t want to burn out for any short-term winnings, ”said Pandya. It is said that you are modifying your bowling action after surgery.
“That was the question (the sixth bowler). When I joined the team, I had to work on my bowling skills. More than injury, the sixth pitcher gives us an extra option. Maybe we should choose between those (off-roaders) who have played for India. There is another in the Pandya (Krunal) family. “
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