Super Sixes SRL | AUS vs IND Evaluation Chart - Warner, Smith triumph Rahul pyrotechnics as Australia land sucker punch

Match Review

After being asked to bat first in the International Super Sixes opener, Australia played a pure brand of T20 cricket with attack being the order of the day. Aaron Finch and David Warner were usual suspects but a Steve Smith masterclass ensured a strong finish for the Aussies, as India left to do the leg work. Only two wickets were lost in the process as the Aussies ended up with a colossal 213/2 in their essay.

Chasing 214 was never a cakewalk, but India seemed to be on the right track with an in-form KL Rahul making inroads. But once Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took the long walk back to the pavilion, the table turned once again, leaving India to play catch-up. Rahul did try to keep the team on track by holding one end up, but that was never going to be enough. Once Pat Cummins got rid of Rahul, the slimmer of hope that was there ended for India as the Aussies walked away with the game for 17 runs.

Turning Point

Steve Smith conquered the territory with a majestic batting display and the moment he hit Ravindra Jadeja for a third ball six, the writing was on the wall. Australia soared and soared in the game right from that moment, with Warner joining the party to put Indian spinners lengths off the track. India didn’t hold any chance after that in their entire duration of fielding.

Highs and Lows

Mitchell Starc’s over with full of ferocity was definitely the moment of the game. With India having a terrific start to their day with the bat and having a certain Virat Kohli unbeaten in the run-chase, it was a proposition worth challenging for the Finch-led men. But Starc, bowling his third in the powerplay, managed to get rid of both Kohli and Shreyas Iyer on two consecutive deliveries to put India behind the run-chase. 

Virat Kohli’s captaincy was a grave low in the game, that needs to be pointed out. With Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja being deposited to the stands, he needed to introduce a pacer to disrupt the momentum but alas, he gave Chahal another over. Although Chahal gave away only 8 runs in that, the partnership blossomed to give Australia vital stability. 

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: Australia 6/10  India 5/10

From the Australian standard, the fact that they have two of the bloody good attacking openers in their line-up, 45/0 is not the best of the efforts. But that is in an ideal world. In reality, if you are tasked with the prospect of Jasprit Bumrah firing on all cylinders, you got to give them the point that Australia left powerplay unscathed. 

Everything was going well for India in the powerplay overs, but then Mitchell Starc happened. One of the finest white-ball bowlers of the generation, Starc ran in to deliver a masterclass of a performance, accounting for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and then Shreyas Iyer. With 63/1 at the end of 5th Over, India were scampering ahead, consigning Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson to some of the worst figures, but ended up with minuscule 68/3 in the first six overs.

Middle-overs manoeuvring:  Australia 8.5/10  India 5.5/10

Ever since Steve Smith made a return to the T20 side back in October, he has become a fine batsman, a completely new avatar in the shortest version. He came, whacked the life out of Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal to show why class doesn’t see any formats. That, coupled with the fact that Warner showed some brutal ball-bashing skill in the middle overs, accounted for a total of 105 runs in the middle overs to ensure a solid finish for the Aussies. 

It is where India lost the game, although some might point at the sixth over as the result of the same. Rahul was well set in the middle, with the likes of Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings. But once Starc got rid of Kohli and Iyer, his batting fell off the radar. The slow-batting approach resulted in India scoring only 76 runs in the middle overs, being behind the target fair and square.

Death bowling:  Australia 6/10  India 4/10

It was like one-way traffic for the Aussies and the Indian bowlers had to pay the price for it. With Smith showing no signs of stopping, Indian death bowling, led by Bumrah, had to take up responsibilities. While Bumrah can claim to have a better showing, others massively disappointed, with Navdeep Saini conceding 31 runs in two overs. After all, giving away 63 runs in the death means you are already putting your team on the backfoot.

Honestly speaking, India had virtually lost the game much before the death overs were even bowled. A tired Rahul failed to open his arms against the Aussie spinning duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, while Hardik Pandya just delayed the inevitable. The formality was just finished by the Aussie pack in a tag-team effort to ensure everyone had a go. 

Match Frenzy O Meter - Brilliant

Well, this game had everything that a classic T20 game is referred to. Some insane ball bashing from David Warner and Steve Smith, terrific new ball bowling from Mitchell Starc, with a classy KL Rahul innings to keep India’s hope alive. Doesn’t this sound too real? It was an exciting and surely, a fantastic T20 match for a neutral supporter.