Australia dominated their chase of 209 to clinch the series opener in Mohali by 4 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Aaron Finch played a captain’s knock at the top of the order to give the Aussies the perfect start and build the foundation for their incredible chase.
Aaron Finch upbeat after an all-round show from his teammates
Following the win, Finch said, “It was a good contest, wasn’t it? We had some really good partnerships, there were some good contests between the bat and ball. They came hard at us.”
“You expect the run rate to slow down if you lose wickets. The batters tried to change the momentum of the game. That’s what we play for, we still try to instil all the processes leading into the World Cup,” he concluded.
Match Highlights
Cameron Green and Matthew Wade were the standout players from the Australian camp. Australia got off to a strong start with Finch and Green dealing in fours. However, Finch departed for 22(13) but Green continued the show with Steve Smith. The pair added a 50-plus stand and took the game away from India until the 10th over. India bounced back right after the halfway stage, with Axar Patel and Umesh Yadav leading the fightback. The spinner scalped three wickets in his four-over quota, while Yadav, who started on an expensive note, scalped two wickets in his return spell. However, a crucial partnership between Green and Tim David took the game away from the hosts. Green smashed 61 off 30 balls, while Wade returned unbeaten on 45 off 21 balls.
Earlier, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and put India to bat first. The Men in Blue got two early blows as skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli departed cheaply. However, KL Rahul and Suryakuamr Yadav steadied the ship for India after the initial shock.
Hardik Pandya then continued the momentum by unfurling his stylish shots as he took the Australian bowlers to the cleaners. The swashbuckling all-rounder hit every Australian bowler around the park to propel India to a staggering total of 208/6 in their 20 overs.
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