Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a renowned Indian top-order with a probing spell, leading Australia to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International on Friday.
In front of a crowd of 82,438, India endured one of its most embarrassing defeats, with nine batters failing to reach double digits, culminating in a total of 125 in 18.4 overs.
Only Abhishek Sharma, in the form of his life, stood out with a combative 37-ball 68. Along with Harshit Rana (35 off 33 balls), he added 56 runs to push the total past the 100-run mark after Hazlewood (3/13) had them reeling at 49 for 5.
Hazlewood bowled 15 dot balls in his four-over spell, breaking the backbone of the Indian batting line-up and effectively killing the contest within the first 20 minutes.
In reply, skipper Mitchell Marsh blasted his way to 46 off 26 balls, as the hosts completed the chase in just 13.2 overs, losing three wickets in the process. Australia lost six wickets mainly due to their batters attempting audacious shots.
The only silver lining for India, apart from Abhishek’s innings, was Varun Chakravarthy’s spell (2/23 in 4 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah’s (2/26 in 4 overs) pinpoint yorker to dismiss Matthew Short.
Most of the Indian batters struggled to hit through the line due to the extra bounce and the lengths that the Australian pacers, especially Hazlewood, consistently hit during his spell.
While the technique of a few batters was exposed, the Indian team management is unlikely to be too concerned as the T20 World Cup will be played in Indian conditions, where most deliveries will not rise above knee height.
There will be minimal seam movement, and wickets offering a bit of grip will benefit Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel much more.
