Melbourne, Oct 31 Left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma’s 68 off 37 balls was the lone bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming Indian batting display, as the visitors’ were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
India’s innings never quite recovered from a top-order collapse triggered by Josh Hazlewood, who picked a sensational 3-13 by extracting seam movement and bounce and maintaining a probing length that left the visitors’ reeling in powerplay.
Amidst all this, Abhishek mixed power with placement and found gaps with ease in his counterattacking knock laced with eight fours and two sixes. He also stitched a 56-run stand with Harshit Rana, who was promoted to number seven and made it count by making 35 off 33 balls.
India’s innings began with a burst of intent from Abhishek, who flicked and lofted Xavier Bartlett for four and six respectively. But Australia managed to halt India’s momentum as Shubman Gill miscued a loft to mid-off against Hazlewood, while Sanju Samson’s stay was short-lived as Nathan Ellis got one to seam back in and trap him lbw.
With the wicket offering movement, India’s batters struggled to settle as Suryakumar Yadav edged behind off Hazlewood, while Tilak Varma miscued a flick to deep square leg and handed Hazlewood his second scalp of the over, as India lost four wickets in powerplay.
A mix-up leading to Axar Patel’s run-out added to India’s woes, and with their innings in disarray, Rana and Abhishek hit a couple of boundaries each to help India regain some rhythm. Abhishek continued to bat with flair and got his half-century off just 23 balls.
But Rana’s dismissal - caught by Tim David off Bartlett - ended a vital stand that kept India afloat. After that, India’s innings nosedived as Shivam Dube nicked behind off Bartlett, while Kuldeep Yadav holed out to mid-on off Marcus Stoinis.
Abhishek’s innings ended when he was trapped lbw by Ellis, while Jasprit Bumrah’s run out ensured India’s innings wrapped up quickly, where batters minus Abhishek and Rana made only 19 runs.
Brief Scores: India 125 in 18.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 68, Harshit Rana 35; Josh Hazlewood 3-13, Nathan Ellis 2-21) against Australia
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