Hosts Australia came up with a relentless bowling performance, as they tamed visitors India in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday. The win for Australia meant the end of an eight-game winning streak for India, while Australia sit on second and India on third, in the ICC Rankings. Meanwhile, we analyse the talking points from this tie.
undefined
Matthew Wade the new opener for Australia? Wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade was roped in as a replacement for injured regular opener David Warner. However, he has been terrific in the T20Is, having scored the most runs for the side. He has an excellent average of 48.33, including twin half-centuries. Least to say, he has become a contender for the opening slot, for the side, especially in the shortest format, as skipper Aaron Finch might consider himself going a place down.
undefined
The curious case of Deepak Chahar: Chahar is coming off a decent outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having claimed the second-most wickets for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Known for his noble ability to swing the ball, he was backed to be a hit in Australia, especially in the T20Is. However, he has failed to get going, especially in the opening spell, with the new ball. Not sure what's wrong, but he certainly needs to work on it in the coming days.
undefined
T Natarajan and Jasprit Bumrah- The yorking pair: Natarajan has been having a dream debut, claiming regular wickets. Furthermore, it is his ability to ball consistent yorkers that has been troubling the Aussies of late, besides being highly economical. While we did not get to see India's prime yorker bowler Jasprit Bumrah in this series, the two are sure to make a deadly pair in the near future. Watch out, world cricket.
undefined
What is with the dropped catches? In an unusual observation in this match as well as the series, there have been a number of dropped catches. While dew could have possibly been the issue, it also seems like the lights at the SCG are troubling the fielders. Well, it wasn't exactly the case until now but is undoubtedly baffling to see.
undefined
Should Sanju Samson keep for India? India have been using KL Rahul as their primary wicketkeeper in the limited-overs for some time now. However, they also have Samson as a specialist wicketkeeper, as he could be utilised for the role since Rahul is ideally a part-time wicketkeeper. Furthermore, this would allow Rahul to focus on his batting, which is of India's primary need.
undefined
Samson needs to be consistent: Speaking of Samson, he has been India's fifth-highest run-scorer in this series. Nonetheless, it is his inconsistency that has ruined his outing so far. Coming off a decent outing in the IPL, he was inconsistent even during the tournament. Samson needs consistency at the utmost if he wishes to seal his spot in the side.
undefined
Do Indian batsmen depend too much on hitting sixes? In another notable observation, we have seen that the Indian batsmen are going too much for the big hits, i.e. hitting sixes. Although it is needed occasionally, depending too much on it is ought to drop down the chances of success. Instead, the batsmen should depend on scoring in fours, at least twice or thrice an over.
undefined
Match summary: Winning the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli elected to field first, as the tracked looked no different from the last game. Meanwhile, the Australians were off to a strong start, as it was opener Wade's prolific knock of 80, along with Glenn Maxwell's 54, that helped them post a challenging total of 1865. In reply, the Indians were going right, but the Australian bowlers continued to get the needed breakthrough, to pile pressure on the visitors. It was Kohli, who managed to play a brave knock of 85, but was not enough, as Mitchell Swepson's 323 made them fall short by 12 runs.
undefined