IND vs AUS 2022 | Didn’t bowl well, 200 was a good score to defend, admits Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma in action during India's first T20I vs Australia.
|(BCCI)
After enduring a four-wicket defeat against Australia in the first T20I of the three-match T20I series, India skipper Rohit Sharma seemed unimpressed with how they bowled on Tuesday. Despite piling up 208/6, the Men in Blue ended up on the losing side, courtesy of Matthew Wade's 21-ball 45 not out.
On Tuesday in Mohali, the Indian bowlers had a miserable outing to begin the three-match T20I against Australia. Riding on Hardik Pandya's 30-ball 71 not out, KL Rahul's 35-ball 55, and Suryakumar Yadav's 25-ball 46, the Rohit Sharma-led side posted 208/6 after Aaron Finch asked them to bat. Still, in the end, it was not enough to secure a victory. Barring Axar Patel (4-0-17-3), each Indian bowler conceded 11 or more runs an over.
At the post-match presentation, Rohit rightfully criticized his side's bowlers for staging an awful show. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-52-0), Harshal Patel (4-0-49-0), and Yuzvendra Chahal (3.2-0-42-1) -- their three frontline bowlers -- were smashed out of the park more often than not. Safe to say, India badly missed Jasprit Bumrah in the series opener.
I don't think we bowled that well. 200 is a good score to defend and at the same time, we didn't take our chances on the field. That's about it. I think we batted brilliantly to get to that score. It was a great game for us to understand where we went wrong and what we can do better in the next game," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Australia's run-chase began with a flash, thanks to promoted Cam Green's 30-ball 61. Matthew Wade took charge later on, and Tim David (18 off 14 balls) played second fiddle to him. It helped them get past the finishing line, and Rohit perfectly pointed out their partnership was clinical in terms of the match result.
"For us, it was just about that one wicket between Wade and Tim David. And we were not able to do that. I think they got a 60-odd partnership in 32 balls, which was a turning point from their perspective," Rohit added.
