India came up with a fighting performance with the bat, as they steered to a par total of 1617 against Australia in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Friday. Wicketkeeper-opening batsman KL Rahul was the top scorer, playing a knock of a 40-ball 51, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja played a late blitz of 44.
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Winning the toss, Australian skipper Aaron Finch elected to bowl first. The Aussies moved in with a balanced squad, while the Indians did so with a batting-heavy one. Also, Indian skipper Virat Kohli decided to rest ace pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, as a part of workload management, keeping in mind the upcoming Tests, from December 17.
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The Indians were off to a shaky start, as Shikhar Dhawan fell for a mere single to Mitchell Starc in the second over. He was quickly followed by Kohli, who fell for mere nine to Mitchell Swepson in the eighth.
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Nonetheless, it was the pair of Rahul and fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who ensured to restore some stability. The pair contributed to a 38-run stand for the third wicket before Samson departed for 23 to Moises Henriques in the 12th over.
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T20 specialist batsman Manish Pandey, too, did not fare well, adding just a couple and departing the very next over to Adam Zampa. As Rahul brought up his 11th T20I half-century, he departed the next over to Henriques.
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It was then the pair of all-rounders, Hardik Pandya and Jadeja, who contributed 22 more. Nonetheless, Pandya fell for 16 to Henriques in the 17th over, as he looked to go big, in order to accelerate the innings.
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However, it was a late blitz from Jadeja, as his 23-ball 44, despite some niggle in his hamstring, ensured India steer past 160 and finish on a par total of 1617. He, along with fellow all-rounder, Washington Sundar, contributed to another 38-run stand, which happened to be for the eighth wicket, before the latter departed for seven to Starc in the final over.
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As for the Australian bowling, it was an all-rounder effort. Nonetheless, Henriques claimed 322 to prove yet again why he is the T20 specialist and a popular figure in the Big Bash League (BBL).Brief scores: India 1617(Rahul- 51, Jadeja- 44*; Henriques- 322) vs Australia. Aussies need 162 to win in 20 overs.
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