Josh Hazlewood skillfully destroyed a renowned Indian top order with a probing spell as Australia won by four wickets in the second Twenty20 International in Melbourne on Friday.
With up to nine batters failing to reach double digits in a total of 125 in 18.4 overs, India suffered one of its most humiliating losses in front of an 82,438-strong crowd.
With a fierce 37-ball-68, only Abhishek Sharma stood tall amidst the ruins. After pacer Hazlewood (3/13) left them reeling at 49/5, Harshit Rana (35 off 33 balls) contributed 56 to push the total beyond 100 runs.
Within 20 minutes of start, Hazlewood destroyed Indian batting with an amazing 15 dot balls in his four-over spell.
The hosts reached the target in just 13.2 overs while losing six wickets after captain Mitchell Marsh stormed to 46 off 26 balls in the reply. The majority of batters fell mostly as a result of trying bold shots.
Apart from Abhishek’s innings, Varun Chakravarthy’s spell (2/23 in 4 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah’s pinpoint yorker to dismiss Matthew Short (2/26 in 4 overs) were the other bright spots.
Because of the extra bounce and the lengths that Australian pacers, particularly Hazlewood, hit throughout his spell—which he completed in one go—the majority of Indian batters found it difficult to knock over the line.
Since the T20 World Cup will be held in India, where the majority of deliveries will not rise over knee roll, the Indian team management will not take the results too seriously, even though the technique of a few batters was revealed.
There won’t be much seam movement, and wickets with some grip will greatly benefit Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy.
However, with three games remaining in the series, Indian batsmen might learn from Abhishek, who used some incredible strokes to solidify his position as the top T20 batter in the world.
In his first outing at the iconic venue, Abhishek raced to a 23-ball half-century with some outrageous off-side shots, including slashes, check drives, and lofted strokes, while others headed straight for the dugout after falling cheaply.
The Indian innings came to an end with 8 balls to spare.
Abhishek hit two sixes and eight fours throughout his knock. India crossed the 100-run threshold thanks to his 56-run partnership with Harshit Rana (35 off 33 balls), who was elevated to No. 7. Nine batters were unable to score in double figures.
Abhishek’s ability to use the crease and ride the bounce simultaneously was what made him successful, but he was unhappy with the lower middle-order batters in the back-10 because they were unable to rotate the strike.
Rana faced the majority of the deliveries, and later players like Shivam Dube and Kuldeep Yadav also used a lot of balls, therefore he didn’t score for nearly five overs.
Abhishek took it upon himself at 110 for 8, hooking Xavier Bartlett for a six and then a boundary to bring the score to 125.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav lost the toss in front of a packed MCG stadium, and Hazlewood (3/13) entered the fray despite a magnificent defiance at one end by the in-form Abhishek. During his four-over spell, Hazlewood bowled an amazing 15 dot balls.
Perfect as ever, Hazlewood bowled the Test match length in the 6–8m range, getting the ideal amount of movement to put the top order in a tangle.
After the batter survived a leg-before appeal to a fuller approaching delivery first up, he softened Shubman Gill (5) with a well-directed bouncer that required a necessary concussion test.
The Indian vice skipper attempted to clear the mid-off fielder with a chip shot when Hazlewood bowled a fullish length outside off-stump, but Mitchell Marsh took an easy catch and Nathan Ellis’ nip-backer found Sanju Samson (2) plumb in front before Gill would have cooled his heels.
Then Hazlewood bowled what would have been the game-winning ball. He began with bowling a short ball that captain Surya had gloved in an attempt to pull, but Josh Inglis grassed it on the second try.
The Indian captain got cold feet after the next delivery, which was pitched up. The torso squared up, the feet remained motionless, and the shade outward movement caressed the outside edge of his bat before landing in the keeper’s gloves.
Two balls later, Tilak Varma (0) nicked a Hazlewood delivery that ballooned up for Inglis to finish the job.
After Axar’s run-out, Harshit and Abhishek tried to steady the innings, but Harshit’s repeated plays and misses only added to the pressure on his partner.
