A batting masterclass from Virat Kohli earned India a tight win over Australia in Sydney last night and squared the T20I series at 1-1.
Kohli was wonderfully composed throughout his unbeaten knock of 61, taking few risks in the first half of his innings before taking on the Australian bowlers just as the home side began to build pressure.
Some tight bowling from Australia managed to blow India’s required run rate out to 11.2 runs per over early in the 16th over before Kohli came out of his shell and hammered Andrew Tye for four then six.
The second of those shots was as majestic as it was powerful, with Kohli merely extending his arms on a graceful off drive to loft the ball into the crowd. From that moment on India looked well in control of the chase.
Australia had only managed to reel India back in thanks to superb spells from Adam Zampa (1-22 from four overs) and Glenn Maxwell (1-25 from four overs).
While that spin pair went at just 5.9 runs per over, Australia’s quicks gave up a whopping 10.3 runs per over for the match.
It was the same story in the only other completed match in this T20I series at Brisbane, where Australia’s only spinner Zampa conceded just 5.5 runs per over, while their pacemen went at 11.3 runs per over.
It boggles my mind that the Australian selectors refuse to recognise the folly of their pace obsession in T20Is.
Australia’s Adam Zampa in action. (AAP Image/SNPA, John Cowpland)
Not only do Australia’s spinners consistently outperform their fast bowling counterparts in T20Is, but spinners also account for seven of the top eight ranked T20I bowlers in the world.
The shortest format is dominated by spin and everyone in the world cricket community accepts this, except for the Australian selectors.
Zampa underlined again last night why he has become comfortably Australia’s best T20I bowler, especially now that Mitchell Starc so very rarely plays this format.
In his first T20I since 2016, Starc was outstanding last night and was the only Aussie quick who the Indian batsmen appeared wary of.
He conceded just 16 runs from his three overs in the Power Play but the Indian openers ran riot at the other end.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma blasted 51 from the three overs sent down by Nathan Coulter-Nile and Marcus Stoinis.
It was amid this carnage that Adam Zampa was handed the ball, with India 1-67 after six overs.
The 26-year-old leggie showed his class and self-confidence by producing a wicket maiden in his first over. Targeting the stumps and maintaining a perfect in-between length, Zampa frustrated the Indian batsmen.
At the other end all-rounder Maxwell highlighted why he has been criminally underbowled by Australia in white ball cricket since playing as their lone spinner in the 2015 World Cup.
Operating from around the wicket, Maxwell denied India any width and mixed up his speeds and trajectories beautifully.
Before Australia’s spinners came on to bowl the required run rate for India was elementary at seven runs per over. By the time they had finished the required rate had ballooned to nine per over and Australia were back in the match.
But Kohli was simply too good. Earlier Australia got off to a great start with the bat, at 0-64 after eight overs, before their innings was derailed as they gifted wickets to India.
Aaron Finch (28), D’Arcy Short (33), Ben McDermott (0) and Alex Carey (27) all were dismissed while executing the sweep shot poorly. Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis ran out Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell lofted the ball straight into the hands of long on.
A sprightly stand of 33 from 16 balls between Stoinis (25no) and Coulter-Nile (13no) helped Australia to a solid total of 6-164. But that was never going to be enough after Australia bled 67 runs in the Power Play as Coulter-Nile and Stoinis were demolished.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Not one thing right there.
anon
Roar Pro
What about Fremantle?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Yep. You can include them. Cartoons.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You haven't got one right for the 7 years you've been contributing...not once.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Agar's free flowing bat and excellent shot selection, plus the abilty to rotate the strike makes him ideal for #6 or #7 in a T20 game. His recent international batting has him scoring really freely but running out of partners. He'd be a much better option than D'Arcy Short even as an opener. He has always been a better batsman than Short at grade and state level.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I agree with each of those assessments.
keith hurst
Roar Pro
Our Test attack is world class, our T20 attack pathetic. How can anyone justify picking Tye and Coulter-Nile when they will never have an economy rate under 7. If you can't find replacements and the big 3 are reserved for Test cricket pick 3 or 4 spinners. They could not do worse. Keith Hurst
JamesH
Roar Guru
True, but to play him consistently you would need to drop either Agar or Zampa, and they are justifiably ahead of Lyon in this format.
anon
Roar Pro
I can think for myself. I have an uncanny ability for being correct. Year after year, champ.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Watching Shield cricket live on CA Stream, the most impressive right now is Frankie Worrall. He bowls a really heavy ball and moves it late and very sharply, either way. I think he would trouble the best in the world in his current form. Very Graham McKenzie. Look at the last Shield game's scoreboards and watch his dismissals. Even his two today. Very impressive.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I would keep Lynn. I think he was actually getting better as those matches went on, and with a few more games will start to find his feet. He's also someone who's fitness concerns keep him from playing first class cricket, so he's not losing out on playing Shield games being in the ODI and T20 sides. If we put one or two good, "rotate the strike and anchor the innings" type batsmen to bat around the likes of Lynn then I think that would really help him out too.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
In that lineup I reckon you want to replace one of Marsh and Ferguson with someone like Lynn. It's good to have the sorts of batsmen who can "anchor" the innings, but you need your destructive batsmen as well. Lynn started coming good towards the end of that series. Replace Ferguson with Lynn in that lineup it's looking a lot better. Also replace Hazlewood with Agar. Like this whole story was about, need more spin and less pace in the side. However, while I think Starc and Cummins are probably the main quicks in our best T20 side, I also think it's unlikely they'd be in the side for just about anything except a T20 World Cup.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
He bowls a lot at the death, so sometimes manages to pick up a bag of wickets when conditions make it hard to just come out and slog everything over the boundary, and goes for plenty when the ball is coming onto the bat nicely.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Have to agree about Lyon, but at the same time, he hasn't had a lot of consistent opportunities in the shortest form to really show how good he can be. That team also has too many specialist bowlers and too few batsmen. Agar is okay with the bat, but that's too high for him in international cricket. Very long tail even though Starc and Cummins can be handy with the bat, they aren't consistently. Drop Lyon and Hazlewood for Zampa and Stoinis. Then you have four specialist bowlers, three of whom are pretty handy with the bat, two spinners, two quicks, and then have one pace and one spin allrounder to combine for the fifth bowler.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Even the times he hasn't made a big score, there's always been something about him when he comes out to bat, he looks a class above and seems to make batting look easier. He's the sort of batsman that is good enough that it's hard for bowlers to get him out if he doens't get himself out. He just needs to reduce the number of times he just gets himself out and he will do well.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Personally my pick for 8-11 with everyone available would probably be something like Agar, Starc, Cummins, Zampa. Two quicks, two spinners and then Maxwell and Stoinis as spin / seam allrounders.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Except that Turner barely ever bowls for WA these days. Hard to call him a spin bowling allrounder with the amount he bowls.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
As well. look at Zampa this series. Bowled fgar better than the three quicks who can bat.
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
I am always convinced that whatever the conditions whatever the venue whatever the match situation that very first over in t20s should be bowled by a spinner when batsmen's feet are still fairly cold and body not warmed up yet.... Get one crucial over out of the way... Then the first over will give you an idea whether you should continue with spinners.... And a golden rule in t20s is keep changing the bowlers, you have to be proactive even if somebody bowls a great t20s spell. It is a blunder to keep a specialist bowler for last eight overs and get him into the things only from the 12th over particularly when you are defending, it is injustice to that bowler, he should rather be confirming his form a lot earlier in the game... I think we saw an example of it in last t20 when tye was saved for the last, although I would never pick him in any international side.whenever he is under pressure (in his case anything below 25 required rate) despite all his skills his body language tells you the story, a recipe for disaster
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
I wouldn't keep. "Potential single handed match winners " will win you only 1 match out of 10.