India captain Suryakumar Yadav attributed his team’s 48-run victory over Australia in the fourth Twenty20 match in Carrara on Thursday to his teammates’ tactical knowledge with bat and ball.
India defended a modest score of 168 with a disciplined bowling performance to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series thanks in large part to the contributions of Axar Patel and Shivam Dube.
“I feel credit goes to all the batters. The way Shubman and Abhishek started, they knew this was not a 200-220 wicket. They batted very smartly. It was a complete team effort from the batters,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
With all of them among the wickets, the Indian bowlers put on a clinical effort while defending a competitive score.
“The message is clear. Me and Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) bhai, we are on the same page. There was a little dew but the bowlers adapted quickly,” he added.
With five wickets between them, all-rounders Washington Sundar (3/3) and Shivam Dube (2/20) contributed significantly with the ball.
“Always good to have bowlers give you 2-3 overs. This combination suits us. People chipping in, raising their hands, bailing their side is great,” Suryakumar said.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh was disappointed by the defeat but commended India’s overall performance.
“I thought 167 was par. It provided us with a few challenges. We failed to go over the line. Fair play to India and they are a world-class team,” Marsh said.
Australia has had to make a number of adjustments as the Ashes draw near, including the departure of important players from the T20 team in order to get ready for the forthcoming Test series against England.
“It is great. You ideally want to have a full-strength side at all times but the boys have a big series coming up. We want to give more boys the opportunity. I think it’s great especially in a high-pressure game like this,” Marsh added.
Axar Patel, the player of the match, stated that he attempted to take advantage of the nice length while bowling and concentrated on evaluating the pitch conditions before making his move with the bat.
“I batted at No. 7 and had a chance to look at the wicket. There was some unexpected bounce, so I waited for my position and just hit,” said the 31-year-old, who struck an 11-ball 21 to boost India’s total.
“I was thinking what was the batter’s strength. If the batter was looking to hit me down the ground, I was looking to hit the good length,” Axar said on his bowling figures of 2/20.
