India vs Australia | Shikhar Dhawan rues missed chances in opening day loss
Despite a brilliant 76 off 42 balls, Shikhar Dhawan was unable to guide his side to a victory in the opening T20I match against Australia which the visitors lost by a narrow margin of four runs. The fall of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant late in the innings were to blame for the defeat.
India fell to a disappointing four-run (D/LS method) loss against Aaron Finch-led Australia in their series opener at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday. Despite a below-par bowling display in yesterdayâs rain-marred encounter, the Indians looked to be heading towards a win courtesy of some good batting from left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan.
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed for barely nothing, the Indian side looked to be in danger of crumbling all at once against the Aussies. However, some good hitting from Dhawan, who notched 76 off just 42 deliveries, ensured that they remain in the hunt for a win. The explosive opener was disappointed with the last nightâs result as he opined that if India made the most of the chances that came their way, things would have ended differently.
"Of course those things have an impact. We conceded a few more runs. I knew we had to get some big overs and I was trying that when I got out. I enjoyed batting out there. It was a good game. It was a very close match. We got a lot of confidence out of this game and we'll take it forward in the next game," Dhawan said in a post-match interview.
The Indian captain dropped Aaron Finch early on in the game while KL Rahul and Khaleel Ahmed made the mess of what could have been a run-out chance against Marcus Stoinis who looked in sublime form for the Aussies. Dhawan also credited Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa who was instrumental in the last nightâs win for the home team. The youngster dismissed Rahul and Kohli in quick succession to hand the momentum to the hosts.
"He had good control. We had to target all the bowlers and we did try to target him. In the next game, we'll have better plans against him.
"We've played here before. The experience helps. It was nice to see Rishabh do well especially in Brisbane because we get more bounce here. This was the first game but we adjusted well. But Zampa had an influence on the game," Dhawan added.
India will now take on the hosts in Melbourne on November 23 before the final game of the series in Sydney on November 25.
