IND beat AUS 4-1 in T20Is: Decoding the key takeaways
Team India defeated Australia by six wickets in the fifth and final T20I, clinching the series 4-1. Both teams were without the services of several key players. With the ICC T20 World Cup taking place next year, players across both camps aimed to impress the selectors. Australia particularly struggled in the bowling department. Here are the key takeaways.
Impressive show from India's top-order batters
All of India's batters, who operated in the top six, managed to make a significant mark. While Ruturaj Gaikwad smoked a ton in the series, Yashasvi Jaiswal managed a fifty inside the powerplay overs. Both openers struck at 155-plus in the series. Ishan Kishan played three games and returned with fifties twice. Shreyas Iyer also managed a fifty in the two games he played.
Jitesh, Rinku aced the finisher's role
Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh, who were India's designated finishers for this series, aced the role. The latter managed 105 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 175. He was dismissed only twice in this series. Meanwhile, Jitesh has also shown his ability to shine at the highest level, managing 35 and 24 in the two innings he played.
SKY blew hot and cold
After scoring 80 in the series opener, skipper Suryakumar Yadav could not make a significant mark as his following scores read: 19, 39, 1, and 5. Notably, the series marked SKY's maiden assignment as Team India skipper. He was pretty impressive with his on-field decisions.
Pacers had a torrid time
It was a high-scoring series as bowlers across both camps went for runs. Prasidh Krishna endured a torrid time as he claimed just three wickets at an economy of 13.25. His economy rate rose to 16.33 in the powerplay. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh, a vital cog of India's T20 WC squad last year, claimed just four wickets in as many games (ER: 10.68).
Mukesh, spinners impressed
Mukesh Kumar was the most impressive of the Indian pacers as he took four wickets (ER: 9.12). His economy rate in the death overs (16-20) was 8.57. Spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel were sensational in the middle overs. While the former took nine wickets to finish as the series's highest wicket-taker (ER: 8.20), Axar had a jaw-dropping economy of 6.2 (6 wickets).
Opener's lackluster show hurt the Aussies
Australia were majorly hurt by their top-order players as the likes of Steve Smith, Josh Philippe and, Ben McDermott could not make great utilization of the powerplay overs. All three batters struck under 130 in the series. Meanwhile, Travis Head threw away his starts in the three games he played. Josh Inglis managed 10 and 2 after scoring a hundred in the opener.
Maxwell, Wade did well
The likes of skipper Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell tried to make up for the failure of the top-order. Australia's only win in the series came on the back of Maxwell's fiery 104. Wade was brilliant in the finisher's role as he made 128 runs, striking at 166.23. He was only dismissed once. Tim David struggled to get going (SR: 126.02).
How did the Aussie bowlers perform?
Jason Behrendorff was Australia's stand-out bowler as he claimed six wickets at a jaw-dropping economy of 6.68. Leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha did decently in the middle overs, managing five wickets (ER: 8.95). Known for their abilities to operate in crunch overs, Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott had economy rates of over 10.
